Observational studyScandinavian journal of primary health care2018
First four years of operation of a municipal acute bed unit in rural Norway.
Observational study in Scandinavian journal of primary health care, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Providing effective and efficient hospital admission avoidance inpatient care: a systematic realist review of Norwegian municipal inpatient acute care services.BMC health services research · 2026Pooled it
- Municipal intermediate care services in Denmark and Norway: a cross-country comparative analysis.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2026Article
- Identifying and characterizing subgroups of medically complex older patients in community-based intermediate care: a latent class analysis of Danish municipal temporary stay patients.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Medication use patterns among older patients in temporary stays in Denmark.European geriatric medicine · 2025Article
- Characteristics and care trajectories of older patients in temporary stays in Denmark.European geriatric medicine · 2025Article
- Article
- Facility and Regional Variations in Admission and Discharge Patterns Within Step-Up Intermediate Care: A Cross-Sectional Study of Municipal Inpatient Acute Care Services in Norway.Health services insights · 2024Article
- Associations between nurse managers' leadership styles, team culture and competence planning in Norwegian municipal in-patient acute care services: A cross-sectional study.Scandinavian journal of caring sciences · 2022Article
- Finding good alternatives to hospitalisation: a data register study in five municipal acute wards in Norway.BMC health services research · 2022Article
- Clinical profile of rural community hospital inpatients in Sweden - a register study.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2021Article
- Associations between characteristics of the patients at municipal acute bed unit admission and further transfer to hospital: a prospective observational study.BMC health services research · 2020Observational
- The Causal Effect of Community Hospitals on General Hospital Admissions. Evaluation of a Natural Experiment Using Register Data.International journal of integrated careArticle
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo evaluate the use of a small municipality acute bed unit (MAU) in rural Norway resulting from the Coordination reform regarding occupancy-rate, patient characteristics and healthcare provided during the first four years of operation. Further, to investigate whether implementation of the new municipal service avoided acute hospital admissions.
designObservational study.
settingA two-bed municipal acute bed unit. SUBJECTS: All patients admitted to the unit between 2013 and 2016.
main outcome measuresDemographics, comorbidity, main diagnoses and level of municipal care on admission and discharge, diagnostic and therapeutic initiatives, MAU occupancy rate, and acute hospital admission rate.
resultsAltogether, 389 admissions occurred, 215 first-time admissions and 174 readmissions. The mean MAU bed occupancy rate doubled from of 0.26 in 2013 to 0.50 in 2016, while acute hospital admission rates declined. The patients (median age 84.0 years, 48.9% women at first time admission) were most commonly admitted for infections (28.0%), observation (22.1%) or musculoskeletal symptoms (16.2%). Some 52.7% of the patients admitted from home were discharged to a higher care level; musculoskeletal problems as admission diagnosis predicted this (RR =1.43, 95% CI 1.20-1.71, adjusted for age and sex).
conclusionAdmission rates to MAU increased during the first years of operation. In the same period, there was a reduction in acute hospital admissions. Patient selection was largely in accordance with national and local criteria, including observational stays. Half the patients admitted from home were discharged to nursing home, suggesting that the unit was used as pathway to a higher municipal care level. Key Points Evaluation of the first four years of operation of a municipality acute bed unit (MAU) in rural Norway revealed: • Admission rates to MAU increased, timely coinciding with decreased acute admission rates to hospital medical wards. • Most patients were old and had complex health problems. • Only half the patients were discharged back home; musculoskeletal symptoms were associated with discharge to a higher care level.
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