Utilization of Inpatient services by Elderly in Teaching Hospitals of Kashan University of Medical Sciences

ABSTRACT

Background: lIealth needs prngamming of the rising elderly population is an incvilablc racl [hat I should be senuus cunsidcraion by hcalth policy makcrs. Thjs study was carried nut to determine the patterns of inpatient services utilization in aged people hospilalizcd in rcitching hospitals of Kashan. Universily uC Mcdical Scitnccs. [Kay MS]. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study arnung patients agcd -60 ycarv old whu had k e n hospitalized in !caching hospilals QKIa UMS during one-year [Stp Zfl119-Sep2nlO]. ?Oh7 I participanrs wcrc sclcctcd by using stratified random sainplinp method. Haw related to inpatient services utilization by elder! y WEE ublaincd from mcdical rccords. Mmn-Urlritncy atld Knrskal-Wallis I tests were used for anal ysis nf collected data. Results: The mean lcnglh uT stay in lht sludy was 4-67 days. F, lderly patients with tnental health pblern had the highest and ophthalmic old patients had thc luwcsl lcngrh uC slay in hospilals. Thc greatcut s;hfiros f day-patients wcrc kloiiging to internal diseas? and cardnhgyw ards. Aged Patients in different wards, 5 p e s nf diseases, and co morbidities had statistically significant differen1 LOS. Conclusion: More attention should be paid to discascs wilh rhc highcst LOS. Prcvcnlivc mcasurcs, predicting appropriate number of hospital beds and alternative inexpensiw care services such as hume care senriccs md LTC ccnbcrs shvildb c suggcstcd as well.