Aged — Effect of Discharge Via an Intermediate Care Unit
Citation(s)
Dahl U, Johnsen R, Sætre R, Steinsbekk A The influence of an intermediate care hospital on health care utilization among elderly patients--a retrospective comparative cohort study. BMC Health Serv Res. 2015 Feb 1;15:48. doi: 10.1186/s12913-015-0708-4.
Dahl U, Steinsbekk A, Jenssen S, Johnsen R Hospital discharge of elderly patients to primary health care, with and without an intermediate care hospital - a qualitative study of health professionals' experiences. Int J Integr Care. 2014 Apr 30;14:e011. e
Dahl U, Steinsbekk A, Johnsen R Effectiveness of an intermediate care hospital on readmissions, mortality, activities of daily living and use of health care services among hospitalized adults aged 60 years and older--a controlled observational study. BMC
Can Discharge Via an Intermediate Care Unit Prevent Aggravation of Disease and Loss of Functionality, Without Increasing the Level of Cost? A Controlled Observational Study
Interventional studies are often prospective and are specifically tailored to evaluate direct impacts of treatment or preventive measures on disease.
Observational studies are often retrospective and are used to assess potential causation in exposure-outcome relationships and therefore influence preventive methods.
Expanded access is a means by which manufacturers make investigational new drugs available, under certain circumstances, to treat a patient(s) with a serious disease or condition who cannot participate in a controlled clinical trial.
Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.
Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.