Objective: To know first year’s operations results of an Alzheimer’s special care unit provided with 5 beds.
Design: Revision of clinical data
Materials and Methods: We checked the income of the year 2002. We collected age, sex, demographic data, patients origin, Barthel index of admission and discharge, Pfeiffer score of admission and discharge, nutritional state, GDS score, Zarit score, and NPI score of admission and discharge. Charlson score, diagnosis, and data on utilization of psycothropics (neuroleptics, AcH inhibitors, antidepressants and benzodiazepine), average stay, data of discharge, and complications during admission.
Results: During the year 2002, 63 patient were admitted (63.8% women) with an average age of 80.7*7.9 years. 74.2% came directly from their home. 19% from our referenced Hospital (78% of the Internal Medicine Service). Barthel’s admission average score was 41.9*26.7 and at the discharge of 48.1*25.8. 55.2% was considered well nourished. Pfeiffer’s admission average score was 8.9*1.4 mistakes and of 7.6*2.6 mistakes at discharge. 77.6% was in GDS 6 and 7. The most frequent diagnosis was Alzheimer’s disease in 53.4%. The most frequent motive of admission was familiar relief (53.4%) followed by altered behavior control (29.3%). The comorbidity was moderate with 77.5% with Charlson score equal or inferior to 2. The average of drugs at admission was of 4.1*2.7 and at discharge 4.4*2.5. The drugs most used were neuroleptics. These were used by 50% of the patients at admission. It was observed a change in the composition of the treatment with decrease of the use of neuroleptics and benzodiazepines and an increase in the use of antidepressants and inhibitors of the ACH. The average stay was of 29.9*14.8 days. 65.5% returned home after discharge. 3.4% died during admission. 8.6% experienced some falling during admission. 82.2% did not suffer any complication. In the statistical analysis, we only observed significant differences in the NPI score at admissions and discharge that went from 40.67*23.7 to 11.46*14.4 (p<0.0001).
Conclusion: The admission in the unit showed to be effective to reduce behavior disorders. A favorable change in the type of psycothropic treatment used was observed. Most of the patients did not suffer serious complications during admission, maintaining intact their functional status.
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