The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences
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J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. · Mar 2008
Randomized Controlled TrialEffects on health care use and associated cost of a home visiting program for older people with poor health status: a randomized clinical trial in the Netherlands.
Home visiting programs have been developed to improve the functional abilities of older people and subsequently to reduce the use of institutional care services. The results of trials have been inconsistent and their cost-effectiveness uncertain. Home visits for a high-risk population rather than the general population seems a promising approach. We therefore studied the effects of a home visiting program for older people with poor health. This article describes the effects on health care use and associated cost. ⋯ The home visiting program did not appear to have any effect on the health care use of older people with poor health and had a low chance of being cost-effective. We conclude that these visits are probably not beneficial for such persons within the health care setting in the Netherlands or comparable settings in other Western countries.