Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26315779›Full record

Observational studyBMC health services research2015

Effectiveness of an intermediate care hospital on readmissions, mortality, activities of daily living and use of health care services among hospitalized adults aged 60 years and older--a controlled observational study.

Unni Dahl, Aslak Steinsbekk, Roar Johnsen

Registry-linked trialAbstract readObservational Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in BMC health services research, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT01706744 (Can Discharge Via an Intermediate Care Unit Prevent Aggravation of Disease and Loss of Functionality, Without Increasing the Level of Cost? A Controlled Observational Study), which is not on this map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT01706744 nacompletednot on this map

Can Discharge Via an Intermediate Care Unit Prevent Aggravation of Disease and Loss of Functionality, Without Increasing the Level of Cost? A Controlled Observational Study

TypeinterventionalSponsorNorwegian University of Science and TechnologyRan2010 to 2013Enrolled328ConditionsPatients, AgedArmsIntermediate care unit, Local health care 1, Local health care 2
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Interventions to Promote Early Discharge and Avoid Inappropriate Hospital (Re)Admission: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019
    Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Observational
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. The impact of inpatient bed capacity on length of stay.The European journal of health economics : HEPAC : health economics in prevention and care · 2022
    Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Unni DahlDepartment of Public Health and General Practice, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Post box 8905 Medisinsk teknisk forskningssenter, 7491, Trondheim, Norway. unni.dahl@ntnu.no.
Aslak SteinsbekkDepartment of Public Health and General Practice, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Post box 8905 Medisinsk teknisk forskningssenter, 7491, Trondheim, Norway. aslak.steinsbekk@ntnu.no.
Roar JohnsenDepartment of Public Health and General Practice, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Post box 8905 Medisinsk teknisk forskningssenter, 7491, Trondheim, Norway. roar.johnsen@ntnu.no.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIntermediate care is a health care model developed to optimize the coordination of health care services and functional independence. In Central Norway, an intermediate care hospital (ICH) was established in a municipality to improve hospital discharge and follow-up among elderly patients with chronic conditions and comprehensive care needs. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of hospital discharges to a municipality with an ICH compared to discharges to a municipality without an ICH.

methodsThis was a non-randomized controlled observational study of hospitalized patients aged 60 years and older from two municipalities. Patients (n = 328) admitted to a general hospital from February 2010 through September 2011 were included in the study and followed for 12 months. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and Cox proportional hazard regression.

resultsEach patient discharged from the general hospital to the municipality with an ICH had a shorter length of stay and used on average 4.2 (p = 0.046) fewer hospital days during 1 year compared to patients from the municipality without an ICH. Otherwise, no statistical significant differences were found between the municipalities in terms of hospital readmissions, admissions, mortality, activities of daily living, primary health care utilization or total care days. A post hoc analysis of patients discharged to the ICH compared to the municipality without an ICH, showed that the ICH patients were older and frailer, but the outcome was similar to the main analysis.

conclusionsHaving an ICH in the municipality facilitated shorter length of hospital stay and kept the risk of readmissions, mortality and post-hospitalization care needs at the same level as without an ICH.

Indexed as

Activities of Daily LivingIntermediate Care FacilitiesMortalityPatient ReadmissionPrimary Health CareAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHospitalizationHospitals, GeneralHumansLength of StayMaleMiddle AgedNorwayPatient Discharge

Identifiers

PMID26315779
PMCPMC4552456

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.