Outcomes of Decreased Length of Hospital Stay Among Geriatric Patients With Dementia

This study examined the outcomes associated with shortening hospital stays for geriatric inpatients with dementia at a Veterans Administration medical center. Thirty-three patients who were admitted after January 1997, when the hospital decided to reduce patients' lengths of stay, were matched with 33 patients who were admitted before January 1997. Despite significant differences in lengths of stay, no differences were found between the groups on measures of agitation or overall functioning. Despite significantly shorter stays since January 1997, the results of our study indicate that the cognitive and emotional status of patients discharged since that time are equivalent to those of patients discharged after longer hospital stays.