Home hospitalization.
BACKGROUND
Home Hospital is a worldwide phenomenon that provides acute and subacute medical care in the home in an attempt to reduce the need for hospitalization.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the clinical parameters of a home hospitalization program operating in Jerusalem for 8 years.


METHODS
The Jerusalem Home Hospitalization (HH) program admits inpatients for early discharge from the hospital or accepts patients from the community when hospitalization is imminent. A clinical profile of HH was obtained from a chart review.


METHODS
Demographic data, diagnoses, duration of HH and the nature of the care required by patients at the end of HH were surveyed in 1995.


RESULTS
From November 1991 until the end of 1999, 6297 patients over age 65 were admitted to HH. As reflected in 1995 data, the most common disease categories in HH were heart disease, malignancy and infection; 51% of HH lasted less than one month, 69% less than two.


CONCLUSIONS
For 8 years, HH in Jerusalem has provided intensive home care with high levels of patient and family satisfaction.
Maaravi
Yoram
Y
Department of Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, Hadassah-University Hospital, Mount Scopus, Jerusalem,Israel.
Cohen
Aaron
A
Hammerman-Rozenberg
Robert
R
Stessman
Jochanan
J