Effectiveness of intermediate care in nursing-led in-patient units

Griffiths, P.D., Edwards, M.E., Forbes, A., Harris, R.G. and Ritchie, G. (2007) Effectiveness of intermediate care in nursing-led in-patient units. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2. (doi:10.1002/14651858.CD002214.pub3). (PMID:17443516)

Abstract

Patients who suffer an acute illness and are admitted to hospital are often admitted into an acute care ward with many services provided. But while recovering from the illness they may not need those intense services and will need to prepare to go home. Nursing led inpatient units, which are managed by nurses as opposed to physicians, have been designed to prepare patients for home. Ten studies, including over 1800 patients, were analysed to determine if patients sent to a nursing led inpatient unit benefited or at least fared no worse than patients in a unit providing usual care. Compared to usual care, patients in nursing led inpatients units functioned better and experienced greater well-being; more patients were discharged home and not to an institution after about 3 months (but not after 6 months); fewer were readmitted back into hospital soon after discharge; but they stayed in hospital longer. The number of deaths during stay in hospital and 3 to 6 months after discharge was similar between the units (but there was a trend for more deaths early while in nursing led inpatients units that needs to be researched further). It is still not known whether nursing led inpatient units save money - studies in the United Kingdom found them more expensive than usual care units but studies in the United States found them cheaper

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Contributors

Author: P.D. Griffiths

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