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Gériatrie et Psychologie Neuropsychiatrie du Vieillissement

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Modalities of hospitalization in emergency of institutionalized patients Volume 9, issue 4, Décembre 2011

Authors
Service de médecine polyvalente gériatrique, CHU de Nantes, Service de médecine gériatrique, CH de Cholet, Service de gériatrie, CH de Saint-Nazaire

<p>Institutionalized people represent 9 to 37% of the patients hospitalized in emergency. The aim of this study is to clarify practical conditions of decision and realization of an hospitalization in emergency from an institution.</p><p>This is a prospective and descriptive longitudinal study of the hospitalizations in emergency of institutionalized elderly during six months, from 11 nursing homes.</p><p>The patients hospitalized in emergency are old (86.7 ± 7.3 years), more than 80% are women, widows and dependent (GIR 3). Main reasons for hospitalization in emergency are falls in a third of cases and cardio-pulmonary failure (27%). The alert is given by nurses and auxiliary nurses in 60% of cases. The decision of hospitalization is medical in more than 80% of cases. The medical opinion is only on phone in 24.4% of cases. After hospitalizations, 85% of patients came back straight to their institution and 10% died during their stay at the hospital.</p><p>The terms of hospitalization in emergency of institutionalized patients must be improved. Nursing homes are an integral part of the geriatric network.</p>