[Characteristics of the medical treatment received by elderly during the month of death].

ABSTRACT

Data from the Medical Care Activities Survey for 1990 and 1991 were used to analyze characteristics of hospital inpatient medical expenditures of those elderly who died in the month of May, the subject month of the survey. Control data was from elderly inpatients who survived in May and matched in terms of age, sex, disease and length of stay. Three indices were used for analysis: medical expenditures per day, share of each medical care activity in the total medical expenditures, and prevalence rate of each medical care activity. The following are among the main results: The distribution of medical expenditure per day for the dead was higher than the control data, averaging more than twice as much. Medical expenditures of the dead were higher because of higher ratio of injections, examinations, and treatment. Concerning prevalence rate of each medical care activity, injection, emergency treatment, blood transfusion, etc. showed higher rates for the dead compared to the control data. Medical expenditures per day for the dead were also found higher for two main causes of death malignant neoplasms, 1.4 to 1.9 times; cerebrovascular diseases, 2.3-2.9 times.