van Alem V C, Spijker J, van Limbeek J, van Tilburg W
GG & GD, afd. Sociale en Psychiatrische Epidemiologie, Amsterdam.
Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 1995 Mar 18;139(11):565-70.
To assess the possible correlation between characteristics of psychogeriatric patients at first admission to a nursing home and survival.
Retrospective study.
Department of social and psychiatric epidemiology, Free University, Amsterdam.
Data from the Dutch nursing home registration (SIVIS) were used. All first admissions to a nursing home in the period 1989-1991 were analysed. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to determine survival. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyse factors associated with survival.
The rate of survival for women was higher than that for men among these patients (p < 0.001). Predictors of survival in a nursing home were functional status, gender, age and the presence of malignancies and (or) respiratory diseases, at admission.
Predictors of survival after admission in a nursing home are similar to the findings of other studies, although the methods used were different. The main implication of this study is that routinely collected data of health care registrations can be used to assess health care questions.
