Work

The effects of cognitive impairment on nursing home residents' emergency department visits and hospitalizations

Year: 2014

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Little is known about the relationship of cognitive impairment (CI) in nursing home (NH) residents and their use of emergency department (ED) and subsequent hospital services. METHODS: We analyzed 2006 Medicare claims and resident assessment data for 112,412 Medicare beneficiaries aged >65 years residing in US nursing facilities. We estimated the effect of resident characteristics and severity of CI on rates of total ED visits per year, then estimated the odds of hospitalization after ED evaluation. RESULTS: Mild CI predicted higher rates of ED visits relative to no CI, and ED visit rates decreased as severity of CI increased. In unadjusted models, mild CI and very severe CI predicted higher odds of hospitalization after ED evaluation; however, after adjusting for other factors, severity of CI was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Higher rates of ED visits among those with mild CI may represent a unique marker in the presentation of acute illness and warrant further investigation.

Source: Alzheimer s & Dementia

DOI: 10.1016/j.jalz.2014.03.010

Authors: Caroline E. Stephens, Robert Newcomer, Mary Blegen, Bruce Miller, Charlene Harrington

Institutions: University of California, San Francisco, University of California San Francisco Medical Center

Language: English

Topic: Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research

Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: John A. Hartford Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences