[Preventive home visits to the elderly. An evaluation of controlled interventional studies]

Since 1st July 1996 communities in Denmark are legally obliged to offer preventive home visits to elderly people. Twelve randomized controlled trials examining the effects of this kind of intervention have been published. The trials differ widely with respect to their design, the intervention and the evaluation. The review of the twelve trials shows that preventive home visits have a beneficial effect on elderly people and that hospital and nursing home admissions decrease. The underlying cause for this is not clear. However, the studies indicate that a) health care personnel have to undertake these visits, b) social and medical intervention is necessary, and c) visits have to be made on an ongoing basis. The further implementation of preventive home visits to elderly people in Denmark should be closely monitored.