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Getting care to nursing-home patients: a problem and a proposal
Medical Care
|February 1, 1977
Summary
Nursing home patients average 3.6 trips annually for medical care, often to University Hospital. A proposed nurse practitioner and social worker team could offer cost-effective primary care within nursing homes.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Healthcare Management
- Primary Care Medicine
Background:
- Nursing home residents require frequent medical care outside their facilities.
- Transportation logistics and external care access pose challenges for this population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the frequency and location of medical care utilization by nursing home patients.
- To identify potential improvements in healthcare delivery for nursing home residents.
Main Methods:
- Data abstraction from transportation company records.
- Analysis of patient chart abstracts for recent visit frequency.
- Assessment of care locations including University Hospital, private physicians, and community health centers.
Main Results:
- Nursing home patients averaged 3.6 external care trips per year.
- 55% of external care was provided at University Hospital.
- Over 25% of care was delivered at private physicians' offices and community health centers.
- More than half of patients had a recent visit, but quality was questionable.
Conclusions:
- Current models of external medical care for nursing home patients are frequent and costly.
- A novel approach using a nurse practitioner and social worker team could provide cost-effective primary medical care directly within nursing homes.