Home hospital program: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the basic safety and feasibility of hospital care at home (Home Hospital (HH)) for treating acutely ill older persons requiring hospitalization.

DESIGN

Prospective case series

SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS

Community-dwelling persons aged 65 and older requiring acute hospital admission for community-acquired pneumonia, chronic heart failure, chronic obstructive airways disease, or cellulitis.

RESULTS

Seventeen subjects were treated in HH. One hundred twenty-two could not be enrolled because they presented for admission at times when HH was not operational. Six patients refused to enroll in HH. Subjects treated in HH had comparable clinical outcomes to those treated in the acute hospital and were highly satisfied with HH. Charges for HH care were 60% of those for the acute hospital care.

CONCLUSIONS

In this pilot study, HH was safe, feasible, highly satisfactory, and cost-effective for certain acutely ill older persons who required acute hospitalization.