Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39775726›Full record

Observational studyAge and ageing2025

Outreach acute care for nursing homes: an observational study on the quality and cost-effectiveness of the Mobile Hospital.

Kontunen Perttu, Leppänen Roope, Linna Miika, Castrén Maaret, Torkki Paulus

Abstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Age and ageing, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. 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

5 authors.

Kontunen PerttuDepartment of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland.ORCID 0000-0002-5549-9545
Leppänen RoopeHospital Services, Western Uusimaa County Wellbeing Services, Espoo, Uusimaa, Finland.
Linna MiikaDepartment of Health and Social Management, Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, FI-70211, Kuopio, Pohjois-Savo, Finland.
Castrén MaaretHelsinki University Central Hospital-Emergency Medicine, University of Helsinki and Department of Emergency Medicine and Services, P.O. Box 340, FI-00290, Helsinki, Finland.
Torkki PaulusDepartment of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe global trend of emergency department (ED) crowding can be mitigated with outreach care. The Mobile Hospital is an outreach acute care service in Espoo, Finland. This study describes the results of the Mobile Hospital intervention to nursing homes in a pre-post study setting with benchmarking validation data.

methodsWe compared Emergency Medical Services (EMS) missions, ED visits, hospitalisations and their estimated costs from two 6-month periods in 2018-2019 (1325 nursing home beds). Benchmarking control data for ED visits were obtained from health records of the 10 largest Finnish cities.

resultsThe number of EMS missions to nursing homes decreased by 16% (720 vs 604), ED visits decreased by 22% (801 vs 622), there was no significant difference in specialised inpatient episodes (178 vs 162) and primary hospital inpatient episodes were fewer (285 vs 178, decreased 38%). Annual estimated savings per resident were 686 euros (decreased 14%). Annual estimated total savings were 934 908 euros. In the benchmarking analysis, the number of ED visits and acute hospitalisations amongst the older population decreased in Espoo, while in the other cities it increased.

conclusionsThe Mobile Hospital seems to reduce nursing home residents' ED visits, hospitalisations and overall costs. Advance care planning and on-call physician telephone consultations may be useful components of the service.Implications to practice: This study adds to the growing evidence that outreach care to nursing homes is cost-effective in suburban areas with universal healthcare funding, at least as part of other developments in the acute care pathway.

Indexed as

BenchmarkingCost-Benefit AnalysisEmergency Service, HospitalHomes for the AgedNursing HomesAgedAged, 80 and overCost SavingsEmergency Medical ServicesFemaleFinlandHospital CostsHospitalizationHumansMaleMobile Health Unitsacute careemergency departmentemergency medical servicesnursing homeolder peopleoutreach

Identifiers

PMID39775726
PMCPMC11705071

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.