[Differences between institutionalized patients and those included in a home care program in Seville]

To describe the characteristics and clinical differences between institutionalised patients and those included in a home care program.

A descriptive, observational, cross-sectional, and multicentre study. Site Seville, 2016.

A total 1857 elderly patients of similar characteristics (1441 institutionalised and 416 at home) in Seville in 2016.

The variables studied included gender, age, civil status, family support, pathologies, multiple pathology criteria, and medication prescriptions. Functional and cognitive status was evaluated using the Barthel index, and the Lawton-Brody and Pfeiffer scales.

The majority of patients (71.40%) were women. The fact of being institutionalised or being included in a home care program were statistically related to the following pathologies and categories: schizophrenia (p<.001), arterial hypertension (p=.012), diabetes mellitus (p=.001), atrial fibrillation (p<.001), and neoplasia (p=.012), A1 (p=.012), A2 (p<.001), B1 (p<.001), B2 (p=.002), C (p<.001), E1 (p<.001), E3 (p=.01), F2 (p<.01), G2 (p=.024), and H (p=.005). The mean Barthel index of the sample was 49.1±34.45 (95% confidence interval: 47.49-50.7). The mean Lawton-Brody scale in the case of patients included the home care program was 2.33±2.49 and in those institutionalised 1.59±2.12. The mean Pfeiffer scale was 4.93±3.53.

Cognitive impairment was related to institutionalisation, being a result of possible neurological (E3 category) and psychiatric diseases. On the other hand, patient comorbidity was not related to it, because it is very high in patients included in a home care program, in whom functional and cognitive independency status is better.