Success With an Inpatient Geriatric Unit: A Controlled Study of Outcome and Follow‐up

Abstract

To assess the worth of a newly established geriatric unit, outcomes for 50 subject patients cared for on this unit were compared with outcomes for 50 control patients. Both groups of patients were hospitalized in Highland View Hospital, the chronic illness and rehabilitation section of a major teaching hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. Analysis of admission data showed the two groups to be closely comparable. All patients were managed by multidisciplinary teams, and the length of stay of both groups was comparable. The discharge data showed that the subject patients were more independent, with significantly greater numbers improving in ambulation and significantly more subject patients being discharged to a home setting. Although the patients in the control group were discharged at lower levels of function, they showed improvement at follow-up. Follow-up data also showed that both groups largely remained in their discharge environments. Explanations for these findings are discussed. The results of this study support the establishment of geriatric inpatient units.

The Clinical Effectiveness of Multidimensional Geriatric Assessment

“…At follow‐up evaluations, performed several months after discharge, the living locations had not substantially changed, and significantly more GAU than control patients were still at home. However, functional status of control patients had also improved at follow‐up and approached the levels of the GAU patients 20 …”

An Interdisciplinary Geriatric Consultation Service: A Controlled Trial

“…Many centers are creating and testing specialized inpatient geriatric units to achieve this goal. Over a dozen reports of such units have appeared to date 12 , 13 . The inpatient geriatric unit strategy entails far more comprehensive control of management than is possible by a consultation team.…”

Use of a Structured Functional Assessment Format in a Geriatric Consultative Service

“…Specially staffed and designed inpatient services provide the ideal setting for functional assessment and management. Experience in our own hospital and in other institutions 4 , 5 demonstrates that such a service allows for the coordinated comprehensive evaluation of medical, functional, psychological, and social aspects of elderly patients by health care professionals in the full range of relevant disciplines. Unfortunately, this form of assessment requires a significant involvement of time by a wide range of professionals, and limits the total number of patients eligible for evaluation.…”