title: A preliminary study of the hospital-admitted older patients in a Sri Lankan tertiary care hospital.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To provide reasons for admission, comorbidities, physical and psychosocial characteristics, and outcome of older patients admitted to hospital in Sri Lanka, and to assess adequacy of routine assessment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive study.
  
  
  METHODS
  University Medical Unit, National Hospital of Sri Lanka during 10 weeks commencing August 2003.
  
  
  METHODS
  All > or = 65 years admitted to the unit, excluding transfers for specialised management and direct admissions by consultants or clinics; 75 men and 75 women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Vision, hearing and speech, tests for tendency to fall, basic activities of daily living (BADL), mood and cognition, body mass index and waist circumference.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy three per cent and 40% had cognitive dysfunction and depression., 20% required assistance in > or = 5/9 BADL, 23% had unprovoked falls within past year, and 57% had a tendency to fall, 34% had < or =6/60 vision.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Falls, depression, cognitive dysfunction and severe visual impairment were present in substantial proportions, unidentified by routine assessment of older patients.
authors.affiliation: National Hospital of Sri Lanka. namalw@yahoo.com
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Weerasuriya
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jayasinghe
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013188:Sri Lanka / Q000453:epidemiology; D014600:Utilization Review; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology