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Hospital-at-home study finds, 'there's no place like home' for certain elderly patients

Case Management Weekly, March 8, 2006

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In the future, more elderly patients requiring hospital level of care could find themselves staying at home-yet still receiving the best quality care. A study conducted by Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore has revealed that a program to provide acute hospital care in their own homes to elderly patients suffering from one of four common conditions is a safe and viable alternative to admitting the patients to a hospital.

The study compared hospital-at-home care with care provided in an acute-care facility for patients 65 and older who required care for either pneumonia, chronic heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or cellulitis.

The patients could choose whether they wanted to be admitted or treated at home. Treatment at home included continuous nursing care and at least daily visits from a nurse and a physician. The patients received high-levels of medical treatment, including oxygen therapy and intravenous medication.

Two-thirds of the patients chose the hospital-at-home option and the study found that these patients did better than their hospital admitted counterparts. LOS was reduced from 4.9 days for admitted patients to 3.2 days for home patients. The home patients suffered fewer complications, and the overall cost of care was reduced to an average of $5,081, compared to an average of $7,480 for the admitted patients.

The study concluded that the hospital-at-home model was highly successful for many elderly patients for whom hospital care may not be the ideal or preferred environment.

Source:NurseZone.com

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