Geriatric Admissions and Outcomes in the Medical Wards in a Developing Country: Experience from a Tertiary Health Care Centre in Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Improvements in technology, preventive medicine, healthcare and general literacy have resulted in increased longevity, thus the world’s population is getting older. There is a need to assess the disease pattern among geriatric patients and to format healthcare services to suit their peculiarities. This study aims to review the profile and outcome of geriatric patients admitted into the medical wards of the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital. Methodology: This was a retrospective study. Hospital records of all elderly patients admitted into the medical wards from January 2022 to December 2023 were reviewed. Information on biodata, admitting diagnosis, duration of admission, and outcome was extracted. Patients were grouped into young–old, middle-old, and oldest-old. Results: During the study period, 1540 patients were admitted into the medical wards, and 667 of them were aged 65 years and above, accounting for 43.3% of admissions. The mean age of geriatric patients was 71.2±8.5 years. The male-to-female ratio was 1.2:1. The most common diagnoses at admission were diabetes/diabetes related complications [20.9%], cerebrovascular disease [19.3%], and heart failure [13.1%]. The rate of in-hospital mortality was 24.6%. The oldest-old age group had the highest mortality rate. The majority of deaths [68.9%] occurred within 10 days of admission (p=0.001). Conclusion: Geriatric patients constitute a substantial proportion of medical admissions with a considerable rate of in-hospital mortality. Non-communicable diseases were the dominant cause of admissions and mortality. Optimising acute/emergency management of medical conditions in the elderly will reduce in- hospital morbidity and mortality.