Utilization of hospital in-patient services by the elderly

A survey was made of the patterns of hospital admission for patients aged 65 or older in an urban practice under the management of a primary care team composed of a family physician, nurse, and medical social worker. Results showed that the elderly used a higher percentage of in-hospital facilities than did the younger age groups. However, admission rates were significantly lower than the local national rates, and involved relatively fewer cases of long-term illness. No patients over 65 were admitted for psychiatric care during the one-year period of observation. This was attributed to the provision of planned domiciliary programs for supervision of patients with long-term illness within a coordinated framework of primary medical care.