OBJECTIVES:

The aim of the study was to identify factors related to institutionalisation within one-year follow up of subjects aged 75 or over, hospitalised via the emergency department (ED).

DESIGN:

Prospective multicentre cohort.

SETTING:

Nine French university teaching hospitals.

PARTICIPANTS:

One thousand and forty seven (1 047) non institutionalised subjects aged 75 or over, hospitalised via ED. A sub-group analysis was performed on the 894 subjects with a caregiver.

MEASUREMENTS:

Patients were assessed using Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) tools. Cox survival analysis was performed to identify predictors of institutionalisation at one year.

RESULTS:

Within one year after hospital admission, 210 (20.1%) subjects were institutionalised. For the overall study population, age >85 years (HR 1.6; 95%CI 1.1-2.1; p=0.005), inability to use the toilet (HR 1.6; 95%CI 1.1-2.4; p=0.007), balance disorders (HR 1.6; 95%CI 1.1-2.1; p=0.005) and presence of dementia syndrome (HR 1.9; 95%CI 1.4-2.6; p<0.001) proved to be independent predictors of institutionalisation; while a greater number of children was inversely linked to institutionalisation (HR 0.8; 95%CI 0.7-0.9; p<0.001). Bathing was of borderline significance (p=.09). For subjects with a caregiver, initial caregiver burden was significantly linked to institutionalisation within one year, in addition to the predictors observed in the overall study population.

CONCLUSIONS:

CGA performed at the beginning of hospitalisation in acute medical wards is useful to predict institutionalisation. Most of the predictors identified can lead to targeted therapeutic options with a view to preventing or delaying institution admission.