Effect of Discharge Via an Intermediate Care Unit

Can Discharge Via an Intermediate Care Unit Prevent Aggravation of Disease and Loss of Functionality, Without Increasing the Level of Cost? A Controlled Observational Study

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT01706744

Enrollment

328

Registered

2012-10-15

Start date

2010-02-28

Completion date

2013-12-31

Last updated

2015-12-08

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Aged, Patients

Keywords

Hospital Readmissions, Community Health Services, Preventive Health Services, Norway

Brief summary

The main goal is to investigate the following topics: 1. Can discharge via the Intermediate Care Unit in Stjørdal, compared to direct discharge to Verdal Municipality, be equally effective in preventing aggravation of disease and loss of function for patients over 60 years that have been hospitalized in Levanger hospital? 2. Are the cost by discharge to the Intermediate Care Unit in Stjørdal, when the hospital is not located in the same Municipality, comparable to the cost by direct discharge to the Municipality of Verdal, for patients over 60 years that have been hospitalized in Levanger hospital? 3. Which issues are considered important by patients and health personnel during discharge, arrival and follow up in the Municipality, to ensure an optimal interaction between the involved units.

Interventions

OTHERIntermediate care unit

OTHERLocal health care 1

OTHERLocal health care 2

Study design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

60 Years to 99 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Patients 60 years old or older from Stjørdal- or Verdal municipality, * given consent, * admitted from their home, * diagnostics completed and necessary treatment started * the patient need not less than 3-4 days institutionalization for treatment/rehabilitation/care

Exclusion criteria

* Patients with severe dementia * Patients with severe disease who cannot give consent * Patients with severe disease with short life expectancy (including severe cancer)

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Hospital readmission	30 days	Acute admission to hospital within 30 days from previous discharge
Use of local health care services	up to 1 year	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
death	up to 1 year
hospital admission	up to 1 year
functional assessment status	up to 6 months
Health service cost	up to 1 year

Countries

Norway

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026