Predictors of institution admission in the year following acute hospitalisation of elderly people.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to identify factors related to institutionalisation within one-year follow up of subjects aged 75 or over, hospitalised via the emergency department (ED). DESIGN: Prospective multicentre cohort. SETTING: Nine French university teaching hospitals. PARTICIPANTS: One thousand and forty seven (1 047) non institutionalised subjects aged 75 or over, hospitalised via ED. A sub-group analysis was performed on the 894 subjects with a caregiver. MEASUREMENTS: Patients were assessed using Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) tools. Cox survival analysis was performed to identify predictors of institutionalisation at one year. RESULTS: Within one year after hospital admission, 210 (20.1%) subjects were institutionalised. For the overall study population, age >85 years (HR 1.6; 95%CI 1.1-2.1; p=0.005), inability to use the toilet (HR 1.6; 95%CI 1.1-2.4; p=0.007), balance disorders (HR 1.6; 95%CI 1.1-2.1; p=0.005) and presence of dementia syndrome (HR 1.9; 95%CI 1.4-2.6; p<0.001) proved to be independent predictors of institutionalisation; while a greater number of children was inversely linked to institutionalisation (HR 0.8; 95%CI 0.7-0.9; p<0.001). Bathing was of borderline significance (p=.09). For subjects with a caregiver, initial caregiver burden was significantly linked to institutionalisation within one year, in addition to the predictors observed in the overall study population. CONCLUSIONS: CGA performed at the beginning of hospitalisation in acute medical wards is useful to predict institutionalisation. Most of the predictors identified can lead to targeted therapeutic options with a view to preventing or delaying institution admission.

Cluster of Legionnaires' disease associated with a public whirlpool spa, France, April-May 2010.

In May 2010, a cluster of three cases of Legionnaires' disease was identified in France. The results of the epidemiological, environmental and microbiological investigations allowed the rapid identification of a public whirlpool spa as the most probable source of contamination and the implementation of appropriate control measures. This investigation has stressed the need for good cooperation between partners and the importance of the molecular analysis of Legionella strains.