Medical healthcare utilization as related to long-term care at home or in special accommodation

This study aimed to investigate medical healthcare utilization 3-5 years following the decision about long-term care at home vs. in special accommodation in older people. A total of 1079 people who were granted long-term care the years 2001, 2002 or 2003 were studied regarding the number of hospital stays and the number of contacts with physicians in outpatient care in the 3-5 subsequent years. Those living at home and those in special accommodation were compared regarding medical healthcare utilization during the 3-5 subsequent years. Data were collected through the study Good Aging in Skane (GAS) and through the registers, Patient Administrative Support in Skane (PASiS) and PrivaStat. Utilization of medical healthcare decreased slightly in the years following the decision about long-term care. Despite younger age and less dependency in activities of daily living (ADL), those living at home utilized hospital and outpatient care to a greater extent than those in special accommodation; these differences remained over time. Thus, it seems as long-term care needs to become more effective in the prevention of medical healthcare utilization among those cared for at home. More, older people who are granted long-term care at home may otherwise imply increased utilization of medical healthcare. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.