CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne
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Review Comparative Study
The health and cost effects of substituting home care for inpatient acute care: a review of the evidence.
There is much interest in reducing hospital stays by providing some health care services in patients' homes. The authors review the evidence regarding the effects of this acute care at home (acute home care) on the health of patients and caregivers and on the social costs (public and private costs) of managing the patients' health conditions. ⋯ The limited existing evidence indicates that, compared with hospital care, acute home care produces no notable difference in health outcomes. The effects on social and health system costs appear to vary with condition. More well-designed evaluations are needed to determine the appropriate use of acute home care.