Increased engagement in telegeriatrics reduces unnecessary hospital admissions of nursing home residents

Abstract

Due to the lack of expert clinical involvement in the nursing homes of Singapore, frail and older nursing home residents become frequent unnecessary users of acute care services. Telegeriatrics, a pilot programme implemented by an acute hospital in Singapore used videoconferencing to provide timelier geriatric care, which could reduce transfers to the acute hospital. We assess the impact of the level of engagement with Telegeriatrics has on nursing home to hospital transfer rates. From December 2010 to March 2015, a total of 579 telemedicine consultation episodes were conducted in two nursing homes. Hospital admission rates were monitored over a 2-year period and compared against the nursing home’s level of engagement with Telegeriatrics. The findings show a reduction in hospital admission rate for both nursing homes. There was a significant decrease of 33% in hospital admission rates in the more-engaged nursing home while the less-engaged nursing home reported a 2% increase. The results show that, by improving the availability of specialist support and with increased engagement in Telegeriatrics, unnecessary hospitalizations could be reduced. This leads to elimination of stress and disruption for the resident, as well as reduced costs and quicker medical care.