Derivación de pacientes geriátricos subagudos a un hospital de atención intermedia como alternativa a la permanencia en un hospital general

objectives: we evaluated the rapid discharge of older patients with reactivated chronic diseases from an acute general hospital to an intermediate care hospital. methods: a cohort study was carried out. compliance with predefined quality standards and patient selection were evaluated. results: sixty-eight patients (mean age 82.6 years, 48.5% men) were discharged from the emergency department (69.1%) or medical wards (mean [sd] global length of stay 2.6 [2.9] days in acute wards and 1.5 [1.6] days in the emergency department). mean post-acute length of stay (sd) was 11.4 (4.2) days. fifty-six patients (82.4%) were discharged to their previous living situation (home or nursing home), two back to the emergency department, seven to long-term care, and three died. all quality standards were met. in a multivariate analysis, male gender and a higher risk of malnutrition were associated with an increased risk of not returning to the previous living situation (p <0.05). conclusions: intermediate care for selected patients with reactivated chronic diseases might represent an alternative to prolonged acute hospitalization.