Preventive Home Visits and Mortality in Older People
Author Information
Author(s): Klas-Göran Sahlen, Lars Dahlgren, Britt Mari Hellner, Hans Stenlund, Lars Lindholm
Primary Institution: Umeå University
Hypothesis
Can preventive home visits by health professionals postpone mortality in older people?
Conclusion
Preventive home visits can postpone mortality in a healthy older population, but the effect disappears once the visits end.
Supporting Evidence
- Mortality was 27 per 1000 in the intervention group compared to 48 per 1000 in the control group.
- The incidence rate ratio for the control group was 1.79.
- The study involved 196 participants in the intervention group and 346 in the control group.
Takeaway
This study shows that when health workers visit older people at home, it can help them live longer, but only while the visits are happening.
Methodology
A controlled trial with an intervention group receiving home visits and a control group not receiving visits.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the inclusion of cohabitants in the intervention group and drop-outs.
Limitations
The effect on mortality was only observed during the intervention period and disappeared afterward.
Participant Demographics
Participants were healthy pensioners aged 75 years and over, with a mean age of 79 years, and included more women than men.
Statistical Information
P-Value
2.31
Confidence Interval
95% CI = 1.07–5.02
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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