Older high-cost patients in Norwegian somatic hospitals: a register-based study of patient characteristics.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Two-thirds of the economic resources in Norwegian hospitals are used on 10% of the patients. Most of these high-cost patients are older adults, which experience more unplanned hospital admissions, longer hospital stays and higher readmission rates than other patients. This study aims to examine the individual and clinical characteristics of older patients with unplanned admissions to Norwegian somatic hospitals and how these characteristics differ between high-cost and low-cost older patients.

Design

Observational cross-sectional study.

Setting

Norwegian somatic hospitals.

Participants

National registry data of older Norwegian patients (≥65 years) with ≥1 unplanned contact with somatic hospitals in 2019 (n=2 11 738).

Primary outcome measure

Hig

SUBMITTER: Lonhaug-Næss M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10551970 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature