Alcohol, cognitive impairment and the hard to discharge acute hospital inpatients.
dc.contributor.author | Popoola, A | |
dc.contributor.author | Keating, A | |
dc.contributor.author | Cassidy, E | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2012-02-03T15:13:58Z | |
dc.date.available | 2012-02-03T15:13:58Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2012-02-03T15:13:58Z | |
dc.identifier.citation | Ir J Med Sci. 2008 Jun;177(2):141-5. Epub 2008 Feb 19. | en_GB |
dc.identifier.issn | 1863-4362 (Electronic) | en_GB |
dc.identifier.issn | 0021-1265 (Linking) | en_GB |
dc.identifier.pmid | 18283510 | en_GB |
dc.identifier.doi | 10.1007/s11845-008-0135-1 | en_GB |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10147/209164 | |
dc.description.abstract | AIM: To examine the role of alcohol and alcohol-related cognitive impairment in the clinical presentation of adults in-patients less than 65 years who are 'hard to discharge' in a general hospital. METHOD: Retrospective medical file review of inpatients in CUH referred to the discharge coordinator between March and September 2006. RESULTS: Of 46 patients identified, the case notes of 44 (25 male; age was 52.2 +/- 7.7 years) were reviewed. The average length of stay in the hospital was 84.0 +/- 72.3 days and mean lost bed days was 15.9 +/- 36.6 days. The number of patients documented to have an overt alcohol problem was 15 (34.1%). Patients with alcohol problems were more likely to have cognitive impairment than those without an alcohol problem [12 (80%) and 9 (31%) P = 0.004]. Patients with alcohol problems had a shorter length of stay (81.5 vs. 85.3 days; t = 0.161, df = 42, P = 0.87), fewer lost bed days (8.2 vs. 19.2 days; Mann-Whitney U = 179, P = 0.34) and no mortality (0 vs. 6) compared with hard to discharge patients without alcohol problem. CONCLUSION: Alcohol problems and alcohol-related cognitive impairment are hugely over-represented in acute hospital in-patients who are hard to discharge. Despite these problems, this group appears to have reduced morbidity, less lost bed days and a better outcome than other categories of hard to discharge patients. There is a need to resource acute hospitals to address alcohol-related morbidity in general and Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome in particular. | |
dc.language.iso | eng | en_GB |
dc.subject.mesh | Alcohol Drinking/*epidemiology/therapy | en_GB |
dc.subject.mesh | Alcoholism/*epidemiology | en_GB |
dc.subject.mesh | Causality | en_GB |
dc.subject.mesh | Cognition Disorders/*epidemiology | en_GB |
dc.subject.mesh | Comorbidity | en_GB |
dc.subject.mesh | Female | en_GB |
dc.subject.mesh | Humans | en_GB |
dc.subject.mesh | Ireland/epidemiology | en_GB |
dc.subject.mesh | Korsakoff Syndrome/*epidemiology | en_GB |
dc.subject.mesh | Length of Stay/*statistics & numerical data | en_GB |
dc.subject.mesh | Male | en_GB |
dc.subject.mesh | Middle Aged | en_GB |
dc.subject.mesh | Patient Discharge/*statistics & numerical data | en_GB |
dc.subject.mesh | Retrospective Studies | en_GB |
dc.title | Alcohol, cognitive impairment and the hard to discharge acute hospital inpatients. | en_GB |
dc.contributor.department | Professorial Psychiatric Unit, Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland., dr_abraham2k1@yahoo.co.uk | en_GB |
dc.identifier.journal | Irish journal of medical science | en_GB |
dc.description.province | Munster | |
html.description.abstract | AIM: To examine the role of alcohol and alcohol-related cognitive impairment in the clinical presentation of adults in-patients less than 65 years who are 'hard to discharge' in a general hospital. METHOD: Retrospective medical file review of inpatients in CUH referred to the discharge coordinator between March and September 2006. RESULTS: Of 46 patients identified, the case notes of 44 (25 male; age was 52.2 +/- 7.7 years) were reviewed. The average length of stay in the hospital was 84.0 +/- 72.3 days and mean lost bed days was 15.9 +/- 36.6 days. The number of patients documented to have an overt alcohol problem was 15 (34.1%). Patients with alcohol problems were more likely to have cognitive impairment than those without an alcohol problem [12 (80%) and 9 (31%) P = 0.004]. Patients with alcohol problems had a shorter length of stay (81.5 vs. 85.3 days; t = 0.161, df = 42, P = 0.87), fewer lost bed days (8.2 vs. 19.2 days; Mann-Whitney U = 179, P = 0.34) and no mortality (0 vs. 6) compared with hard to discharge patients without alcohol problem. CONCLUSION: Alcohol problems and alcohol-related cognitive impairment are hugely over-represented in acute hospital in-patients who are hard to discharge. Despite these problems, this group appears to have reduced morbidity, less lost bed days and a better outcome than other categories of hard to discharge patients. There is a need to resource acute hospitals to address alcohol-related morbidity in general and Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome in particular. |