Hospital treatment in residential care facilities is a viable alternative to hospital admission for selected patients

Aim: To determine if hospital treatment in residential care facilities, led by a geriatric team, might be a viable alternative to inpatient admission for selected patients. Methods: Case series with a new intervention were compared with historical controls receiving the conventional treatment. Treatment in residential care facilities (TRC) by the Residential Care Intervention Program in The Elderly (RECIPE) service was compared against the conventional treatment group, aged care unit (ACU) inpatients. Results: A total of 95 patients in TRC and 167 patients in ACU were included. The mean Charlson Comorbidity Index score was 7 in both groups and demographics were similar, except more patients in the TRC group had dementia. Palliative care support was provided to 35.8% in the TRC group, compared with 7.8% in ACU, P