BMJ  2005;331 (6 August), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7512.0-a

Elderly people recuperate better in a community hospital

Elderly people who need treatment for an acute illness can take better care of themselves independently after undergoing rehabilitation in a community hospital based in the locality than in a district general hospital. Green and colleagues (p 317) randomised 220 patients and found that the median length of hospital stay for both groups of patients was 15 days, but patients who stayed in a community hospital scored better on the Nottingham extended activities scale six months later. The groups did not significantly differ in satisfaction with care and carer burden.

Credit: SIPA/REX

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Effects of locality based community hospital care on independence in older people needing rehabilitation: randomised controlled trial

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