[Rehabilitation of discharged patients is beneficial. Medical and economical analysis].

Even after the Swedish "Adel"-reform in 1992, large Swedish emergency hospitals still have many "bed-blockers" waiting to be discharged for further care by the social services. In Malmö a special ward, run by the social services, was created in 1994 for the purpose of treating, rehabilitating and planning the discharge of "bed-blockers" from the university hospital. The "bed-blockers" treated at this ward during an 18 month period (patient group, n = 223) were compared with a control group of "bed-blockers" (n = 285) who were not admitted to this ward. Although the patients in the patient group seemed to be more sick and handicapped than those in the control group, emergency in-hospital care during a follow-up period of one year was four times greater in the control group than in the patient group. Economic analysis showed that rehabilitation of the patient group was cheap and effective. The study has shown that municipal care of "bed-blockers" needs to be improved and better organised.