The Gerontologist, Vol 35, Issue 2 217-224, Copyright © 1995 by The Gerontological Society of America
The impact of intrainstitutional relocation on morbidity in an acute care setting
J Mirotznik and TG Lombardi
Department of Health and Nutrition Sciences, Brooklyn College, CUNY 11210, USA.
This study investigated the effects on morbidity of intrainstitutional room
changes among stabilized male patients in an acute care setting.
Controlling for potential confounders, patients who underwent room changes
did not differ post-transfer from control patients in vital sign
parameters. Younger movers, however, were found to be taking fewer
medications post-transfer and were more likely to be independently
ambulatory at discharge than younger controls, while older movers were
found to be taking more medications and were less likely to be
independently ambulatory at discharge in comparison to older controls. A
parallel trend appeared with regard to physician evaluation of patient
improvement. These findings suggest that age moderates the impact of
intramural relocation on patients' health status; while younger patients
experience a room change as beneficial, older patients may find it
deleterious. Suggestions are offered for future research.
