Intermediate Care, Clinical and Economic Outcomes. Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Gerontology
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Intermediate care bridges hospital and home, aiming for efficient patient recovery and reduced readmissions.
• Existing research on intermediate care effectiveness yields mixed results, necessitating further evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the efficacy of bed-based intermediate care services.
• To assess the impact on patient outcomes post-hospital discharge.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search of major scientific databases.
• Inclusion of primary experimental studies reporting on mortality, care settings, functional status, hospitalization length, readmission rates, well-being, and cost-effectiveness.

Main Results:

• Six studies met inclusion criteria, generally indicating favorable patient outcomes with intermediate care.
• Intermediate care facilities demonstrated comparable effectiveness to traditional hospital care.
• Intermediate care offers a significantly lower financial burden compared to traditional hospital care.

Conclusions:

• Bed-based intermediate care services appear to be a suitable and cost-effective alternative for post-hospital care.
• Limited statistical significance necessitates further research with larger sample sizes.
• Robust methodologies are required to confirm the role of intermediate care in improving patient outcomes.