[Is there any predictive factors for hospital admission of elder subjects from nursing home?]

Hospitalizations of elderly people are responsible for psychological and physical unbalance and must be limited. The aim of the study is to determinate if there are predictive factors of hospitalizations in emergency for institutionalized patients.

It is a controlled study of 12 months about hospitalizations in emergency from nursing homes. A resident hospitalized in emergency has been matched with a non-hospitalized one. The residents have been matched on age, sex, GIR and nursing-home.

During the study, 51 subjects have been recruited and matched with 51 other non hospitalized. Residents are mainly females (88%), old (86,9±6,7 years), and disabled (GIR: 2,6±1,3). The patients who have already been hospitalized in the last six months have more risks to be hospitalized again. Pre-intercurrent events, somatic or psychological, and co-morbidities are not predictive factors of emergency admission. About 30% of patients are return to its institution after a 24-hours hospitalization.

No medical or environmental factor predicts the hospitalization of geriatric resident. Build a process of decision should be an important factor to decreasing emergency admission.