July 1, 1998American Journal of Psychiatry
Use of Health Services by Hospitalized Medically Ill Depressed Elderly Patients
Key result
Elderly inpatient depression is linked to more hospital days and outpatient visits independent of illness severity.
- n=542
Why the study?
Is depression associated with greater use of health services by elderly medical patients before and during hospitalization?
Population
542 patients aged 60 or over consecutively admitted to university medical services
Comparison
Depression vs Nondepressed patients
Design
Cross-sectional
Authors
Discussion
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Member takes
Implication
May warrant depression screening in elderly inpatients; leaves open whether treatment reduces utilization.
Study Design
Type
Cross-Sectional (n=542)
Structured PICO
Is depression associated with greater use of health services by elderly medical patients before and during hospitalization?
P
Population
542 medically ill patients aged 60 or older consecutively admitted to university medical services, assessed for depression and recent health service use.
E
Exposure
Depression (assessed via Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, and NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule)
C
Comparator
Nondepressed patients
O
Outcome
Use of health services (hospital days in the past year, hospital days and total inpatient days in the past 3 months, and number of outpatient medical visits in the past 3 months)
Depressed elderly medical inpatients utilize significantly more hospital and outpatient medical services than nondepressed patients, highlighting the need for improved identification and treatment of depression in this population.
Cite This Study
Koenig et al. (1998) conducted a cross-sectional in Hospitalized medically ill elderly patients (n=542). Depression vs. No depression was evaluated on Use of health services (hospital days, inpatient days, and outpatient visits). Depression in elderly medical inpatients was significantly associated with more hospital days and outpatient medical visits compared to nondepressed patients, independent of medical illness severity.