The Psychological Impact of Hospital Admission on the Elderly: A Prospective Comparative Clinical Audit and Service Evaluation

Introduction Hospital admission in older adults can be associated with functional decline, loss of independence, delirium, disruption of routine, and psychological deterioration. Virtual Wards, also described as Hospital-at-Home models, provide acute clinical care in a patient's usual place of residence and may reduce some harms associated with inpatient admission. Although Virtual Wards are commonly evaluated in terms of bed capacity, admission avoidance, and clinical safety, their psychological impact remains less well explored. This audit compared depressive symptoms and self-rated mood in older adults managed in hospital with those treated through a Virtual Ward service. Methods A prospective comparative clinical audit and service evaluation was conducted within the Care of the Elderly directorate at East Cheshire NHS Trust. The audit included 100 patients aged ≥70 years: 50 hospital inpatients and 50 patients managed through Virtual Ward pathways. Eligible patients had received at least five days of inpatient or Virtual Ward care and had broadly comparable medical diagnoses. Patients with severe acute or life-threatening illness, those lacking capacity to participate, and those with communication barriers preventing completion of the assessment tools were excluded. Baseline age, sex, primary diagnosis, and Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) characteristics were compared descriptively between cohorts. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15), and self-rated mood was assessed using a five-point mood scale. Exploratory unadjusted between-group comparisons were performed for selected patient-level outcomes. Results Hospital inpatients demonstrated a greater depressive symptom burden than Virtual Ward patients. A GDS-15 score of ≥5 was recorded in 36 (72%) hospital inpatients compared with 15 (30%) Virtual Ward patients, corresponding to an unadjusted odds ratio of 6.00 (95% CI, 2.53-14.24; Fisher's exact p<0.001). Low self-rated mood, defined as a score of 1 or 2, was reported by 19 (38%) hospital inpatients compared with three (6%) Virtual Ward patients, with an unadjusted odds ratio of 9.60 (95% CI, 2.62-35.21; Fisher's exact p<0.001). Conversely, positive mood scores of 4 or 5 were reported by 32 (64%) Virtual Ward patients compared with 16 (32%) hospital inpatients. Baseline age and frailty distributions showed substantial descriptive overlap, although some variation in sex and primary diagnosis was present between cohorts. Conclusion Older adults receiving inpatient care demonstrated a greater burden of depressive symptoms and less positive self-rated mood than those managed through the Virtual Ward service. However, the non-randomised design, potential selection bias, and absence of adjustment for important baseline factors such as cognitive status, functional status, social support, and baseline psychological wellbeing mean that causation cannot be established. The findings should therefore be interpreted as an association between care setting and psychological wellbeing rather than evidence that Virtual Ward care itself improves mood. Further prospective evaluation using comprehensive baseline assessment, adjusted analyses, and post-discharge follow-up is required. Older adults who require hospital admission may also benefit from routine mood assessment and targeted measures to support psychological wellbeing.