Hospitalizations of Nursing Home Residents in Their Last Months of Life
Author Information
Author(s): Ramroth Heribert, Specht-Leible Norbert, König Hans-Helmut, Brenner Hermann
Primary Institution: German Centre for Research on Ageing, Heidelberg, Germany
Hypothesis
What are the rates and determinants of hospitalizations among nursing home residents in Germany during their last months of life?
Conclusion
Proximity to death is the most significant factor influencing healthcare utilization among nursing home residents.
Supporting Evidence
- Nursing home residents spent 5.8% of their last year of life in hospitals.
- Hospitalization rates increased from 5.2% twelve months before death to 24.1% in the last week of life.
- 28.9% of participants died in a hospital setting.
Takeaway
This study found that nursing home residents spend more time in hospitals as they get closer to death, regardless of their age or how long they've been in the nursing home.
Methodology
Retrospective cohort study analyzing hospitalizations of 792 nursing home residents in Germany who died between 2000 and 2001.
Limitations
Data was collected from medical examinations not specifically designed for this study, and some variables were inconsistently classified due to changes in the classification system.
Participant Demographics
The sample included 70.7% women, with a mean age of 84.7 years, and 74.1% were older than 80 years.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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