Risk indicators for hospitalization during the last year of life

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Health Services Research
• Medical Sociology

Background:

• High hospital expenditures are documented for older adults in their last year of life.
• Limited evidence exists on prospectively measured indicators predicting subsequent hospitalizations.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate patterns of hospitalization for Medicare enrollees in their final year of life.
• Examine associations between pre-existing individual characteristics and hospitalization events.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Longitudinal Study of Aging, focusing on decedents aged 70 and older.
• Assessed individual characteristics (functional status, disease, living arrangement, prior hospitalization) before the last year of life.
• Differentiated between terminal and nonterminal admissions, conducting national estimates and regression analyses.

Main Results:

• Hospitalization likelihood was high across various demographics and health statuses.
• Prior disease, prior hospitalization, and age were associated with nonterminal stays and total hospitalization nights.
• Functional status associations varied based on living arrangements and insurance status.

Conclusions:

• Predicting terminal hospital admissions is difficult.
• Pre-existing characteristics are associated with nonterminal hospitalizations and total nights hospitalized in the last year of life.