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Table 1 Baseline characteristics and comparisons between groups of participants categorized with the risk-level stratification of the PRISMA-7 (i.e. low versus high) and the 6-item BGA (i.e. low, moderate and high) (n = 166)

From: Screening for older inpatients at risk for long length of stay: which clinical tool to use?

Baseline Characteristics

Total population

(n = 166)

PRISMA-7 score

P-Value†

6-item BGA risk levels

P-Value‡

Normal

(n = 22)

Abnormal*

(n = 144)

Low

(n = 58)

Moderate

(n = 85)

High

(n = 23)

Overall

Low versus moderate risk

Low versus high risk

Moderate versus high risk

Age ≥ 85 years, n (%)

105 (63.3)

11 (50.0)

94 (65.3)

0.166

45 (77.6)

46 (54.1)

14 (60.9)

0.016

0.004

0.127

0.563

Male, n (%)

41 (24.7)

2 (9.1)

39 (27.1)

0.068

16 (27.6)

14 (16.5)

11 (47.8)

0.007

0.109

0.081

0.002

Home support||, (%)

133 (80.1)

10 (45.5)

123 (85.4)

≤0.001

47 (81.0)

64 (75.3)

22 (95.7)

0.093

–

–

–

Polypharmacy, n (%)

137 (82.5)

13 (59.1)

124 (86.1)

0.002

46 (79.3)

72 (84.7)

19 (82.6)

0.706

–

–

–

Temporal disorientation§, n (%)

26 (15.7)

3 (13.6)

23 (16.0)

0.779

0 (0.0)

8 (9.4)

18 (78.3)

≤0.001

0.016

≤0.001

≤0.001

History of falls#, n (%)

100 (60.2)

11 (50.0)

89 (61.8)

0.292

0 (0.0)

77 (90.6)

23 (100.0)

≤0.001

≤0.001

≤0.001

0.126

Reason for admission, n (%)

 Mobility disorders**

107 (64.5)

13 (59.1)

94 (65.3)

0.298

37 (63.8)

57 (67.1)

13 (56.5)

0.371

–

–

–

 Neuropsychiatric disorders††

25 (15.1)

4 (18.2)

21 (14.6)

8 (13.8)

14 (16.5)

3 (13.0)

–

–

–

 Organ failure||||

15 (9.0)

4 (18.2)

11 (7.6)

3 (5.2)

8 (9.4)

4 (17.4)

–

–

–

 Social issue¶¶

19 (11.4)

1 (4.5)

18 (12.5)

10 (17.2)

6 (7.1)

3 (13.0)

–

–

–

Length of stay§§ (days)

 Mean ± SD

14.1 ± 13.8

11.2 ± 12.6

14.5 ± 14.0

0.298

11.1 ± 9.9

13.8 ± 14.0

22.9 ± 18.2

0.002

0.707

0.001

0.013

  > 13##, n (%)

56 (33.7)

4 (18.2)

52 (36.1)

0.98

15 (25.9)

29 (34.1)

12 (52.2)

0.078

–

–

–

  1. PRISMA-7: the seven questions “Program of Research on the Integration of Services for the Maintenance of Autonomy”
  2. BGA Brief geriatric assessment
  3. SD standard deviation
  4. *Score ≥ 3/7
  5. †Comparison based on unpaired t-test or Chi-square test, as appropriate
  6. ‡Comparison based on ANVOA with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons or Chi-square test, as appropriate
  7. ||Use of formal (i.e., health and/or social professional) and/or informal (i.e., family and/or friends) home services
  8. Number of therapeutic classes taken daily ≥5
  9. §Inability to give the month and/or year
  10. #in the previous 12-month period
  11. **Defined as gait and/or balance disorders and/or fall defined as unintentionally coming to rest on the ground, floor, or other lower level
  12. ††Defined as delirium, dementia or behavioral disorders
  13. ||||Defined as an acute organ decompensation
  14. ¶¶Defined as the absence of acute disease symptoms combined with an acute increase of the use of formal and/or informal home and social services, leading to an inability to stay at their place of residence for life
  15. §§Based on the hospital’s administrative registry. Corresponds to the delay in days between the first day of admission to geriatric ward and the last day of hospitalization in the same geriatric ward
  16. ##Corresponding to the highest tertile among lengths of stay
  17. P-value significant (i.e.; < 0.05) indicated in bold
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BMC Geriatrics

ISSN: 1471-2318

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