Mortality rates among relocated extended-care patients

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Healthcare Management
• Environmental Psychology

Background:

• Involuntary relocation of elderly patients often leads to increased mortality.
• Previous studies indicate significant negative health impacts following patient transfers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the mortality rates of male extended-care patients following a planned building demolition and relocation.
• To determine if the relocation event impacted patient survival compared to pre-relocation rates.

Main Methods:

• Followed 81 male extended-care patients for 21 months post-relocation.
• Compared post-relocation mortality rates with pre-relocation annual death rates.
• Analyzed mortality within the first 3 months and up to 21 months post-transfer.

Main Results:

• No increase in mortality was observed in the initial 3 months post-relocation.
• The first-year death rate (33.33%) was lower than the preceding 5-year average annual death rate (41.20%).
• Half of the relocated patient population survived at 21 months.

Conclusions:

• Planned relocation of extended-care patients may not invariably lead to increased mortality.
• The extent of environmental change during relocation could be a critical factor influencing patient outcomes.
• Findings contrast with previous studies, highlighting the importance of relocation context.