Table 1.
Characteristics of patients in the study
| Variables | Total | Age < 75 | Age 75–89 | Age 90 + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N= 643 | N= 128 | N= 442 | N= 73 | |
| Male | 297 (46%) | 64 (50%) | 205 (46%) | 28 (38%) |
| Residence at admission | ||||
| Community Dwelling | 559 (87%) | 116 (91%) | 388 (88%) | 55 (75%) |
| Residential aged care | 69 (11%) | 6 (5%) | 45 (10%) | 18 (25%) |
| Other | 15 (2%) | 6 (5%) | 9 (2%) | 0 (0%) |
| Admitted via Emergency | 560 (89%) | 102 (81%) | 388 (90%) | 70 (97%) |
| Hospitalised in last 30 days | 141 (22%) | 32 (25%) | 97 (22%) | 12 (16%) |
| Measure of ADL function prior to admission (ADL-SF, Range 0–16) | ||||
| Mild | 513 (80%) | 115 (90%) | 353 (80%) | 45 (62%) |
| Limited to Maximal Impairment | 67 (10%) | 8 (6%) | 40 (9%) | 19 (26%) |
| Dependent | 63 (10%) | 5 (4%) | 49 (11%) | 9 (12%) |
| Measure of Cognitive Function prior to admission (CPS, Range 0–6) | ||||
| Intact or Borderline Intact | 493 (77%) | 117 (91%) | 336 (77%) | 40 (55%) |
| Mild/moderately severe impairment | 121 (19%) | 10 (8%) | 82 (19%) | 29 (40%) |
| Severe/very severe impairment | 25 (4%) | 1 (1%) | 20 (5%) | 4 (5%) |
| Risk Assessment at Admission | ||||
| Increased risk of ADL declinea in hospital | 52 (8%) | 8 (6%) | 36 (9%) | 8 (12%) |
| No. of Comorbidities (Range 0–12) Median | 7 (5–8) | 6 (4–8) | 7 (5–8) | 6 (5–8) |
| Falls History Two or more falls in the last 30 days | 78 (12%) | 14 (11%) | 45 (10%) | 19 (26%) |
| ICD Codes for Acute Admission | ||||
| Circulatory system disease—Other heart disease | 66 (10%) | 10 (8%) | 49 (11%) | 7 (10%) |
| Respiratory disease—Influenza and pneumonia | 46 (7%) | 7 (6%) | 30 (7%) | 9 (12%) |
| Respiratory disease—Chronic lower respiratory diseases | 70 (11%) | 18 (14%) | 47 (11%) | 5 (7%) |
| Symptoms and signs not elsewhere classified | 66 (10%) | 12 (10%) | 43 (10%) | 11 (15%) |
| Injury, poisoning and other consequences of external causes | 56 (9%) | 3 (2%) | 41 (9%) | 12 (16%) |
| Other | 336 (53%) | 76 (60%) | 231 (52%) | 29 (40%) |
| Length of Stay Acute Care | 6 (3–11) | 6 (3–9) | 7 (4–12) | 6 (3–13) |
| At least one adverse outcomeb in hospital | 216 (34%) | 27 (21%) | 154 (35%) | 35 (48%) |
| Readmitted within 28 days of discharge | 125 (21%) | 22 (18%) | 91 (23%) | 12 (18%) |
| Died in 28 days post-discharge | ||||
| No | 584 (92%) | 120 (94%) | 397 (91%) | 67 (92%) |
| Yes died within 28 days of discharge | 27 (4%) | 4 (3%) | 21 (5%) | 2 (3%) |
| Died at index hospitalisation | 26 (4%) | 3 (2%) | 19 (4%) | 4 (5%) |
| Newly discharged from AC to RACF | 31 (5%) | 2 (2%) | 22 (5%) | 7 (10%) |
Data are presented as median (IQR) for continuous measures, and n (%) for categorical measures.
aIncreased risk of activities of daily life (ADL) decline – ADL-SF score from premorbid between 2 and 16 or CPS score at admission between 2 and 5.
bAdverse outcome denotes the event of one or more of either fall, pressure area, decline in activities of daily living (assessed daily), delirium onset