Abstract

Introduction: Patients with dementia are more susceptible to the development of various complications/adverse events than people of the same age group without dementia. They are more often admitted to hospitals, where they have a higher prevalence of complications and higher mortality. Aim: To examine the frequency of physical complications that require emergency transfers of patients with dementia from the psychogeriatric ward of the University Psychiatric Hospital Vrapče (UPHV) to somatic wards of other hospitals. Patients and methods: In this retrospective study we analysed the data of patients with dementia who received medical treatment at the psychogeriatric ward of the University Psychiatric Hospital Vrapče between 1 January and 31 August 2019, with special emphasis on the treatment length and reasons for discharge due to compromised medical condition. Results: 256 patients (67.97% female, 32.03% male) were admitted to the psychogeriatric ward of the UPHV. The average age was 80.5 years for female and 76.4 years for male patients. 28% of patients (23% of all female and 40.24% of all male patients) were transferred to somatic wards of other hospitals. 39% of all transferred patients were transferred within the first seven days after the admission to the UPHV. Pneumonia was the main somatic diagnosis among 19% of all transferred patients. The mean duration of hospitalization was 36.47 days for female patients and 33.08 days for male patients. 10.93% of all admitted patients (10.34% of all female and 12.2% of all male patients) died at the psychogeriatric ward, 25% of whom died within the first five days after the admission to the UPHV. Due to a lack of uniform order of registering diagnoses, a more detailed examination of reasons for transfers will be required. Conclusion: The most severe deteriorations in the physical condition and fatal outcomes occurred within the first week after the admission to the UPHV. The results indicate the necessity of somatic treatment of dementia patients before admission to a psychiatric ward.