The Natural History of Nursing Home Patients

Abstract

To describe the natural history of nursing home care, 197 persons admitted to a random sample of 24 facilities were followed for at least 2 years after discharge. Four subgroups of patients were identified on the basis of different patterns of survival and use of health care resources. Just over 9% were discharged to their homes and received no further institutional care during the period of follow-up. Thirty-seven percent died in the nursing homes. The remainder (54%) transferred frequently between hospitals and nursing homes.