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Accidents in elderly care: a randomised controlled trial (Part 1)
Nursing Standard (Royal College of Nursing (Great Britain) : 1987)
|April 8, 1992
Summary
Nursing home care for elderly individuals resulted in more accidents and faster functional decline compared to hospital wards. However, nursing homes offered a superior quality of life, presenting a trade-off in elderly care decisions.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Health Services Research
- Elderly Care
Background:
- Evaluating health authority-funded nursing homes versus traditional long-stay hospital wards for the elderly.
- Assessing patient outcomes including accidents, functional ability, and mental status.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare accident rates and functional decline in elderly patients randomized to nursing homes versus hospital wards.
- To weigh these outcomes against previously observed quality of life differences.
Main Methods:
- Randomized controlled trial design.
- Data collection on accidents, functional ability, and mental status.
- Comparison between NHS nursing homes and conventional long-stay hospital wards.
Main Results:
- Higher accident rates were observed in nursing home residents compared to hospital ward patients.
- Elderly individuals in nursing homes showed a more rapid decline in functional and mental abilities.
- Previous observational data indicated superior quality of life in nursing homes compared to hospital wards.
Conclusions:
- The benefits of improved quality of life in nursing homes must be weighed against increased accident risk and faster functional decline.
- Flexible nursing home environments may contribute to higher accident rates and quicker deterioration.
- Long-stay hospital wards, while offering potentially better safety and slower decline, provide an inferior quality of life.