Does how the patient feels matter? A prospective observational study of the outcome of acutely ill medical patients who feel their condition has improved on their first re-assessment after admission to hospital.

BACKGROUND: Although asking how a patient feels is the first enquiry most clinicians make the value of the answer has never been examined in acutely ill patients. METHODS: Prospective observational study that compared the predictive value of how well acutely ill medical patients felt after admission to a resource poor sub-Saharan hospital with their mental alertness, mobility and vital signs. RESULTS: In total, 403 patients were studied. Patients who felt better when re-assessed 18.0 SD 9.1 h after admission to hospital were less likely to die in hospital (OR 0.18 95% CI 0.08-0.43, P = 0.00001) and more likely to be independent of others at discharge (OR 5.64 95% CI 3.04-10.47, P = 0.00001). Feeling better was an independent predictor of in-hospital death along with vital sign changes and gait stability, and an independent predictor of independence at discharge along with vital sign changes, gait stability and female gender. CONCLUSION: In this patient cohort a subjective feeling of improvement at the first re-assessment after admission to hospital is a powerful independent predictor of reduced in-hospital mortality.