Abstract
Death rates during a period of rapid deinstitutionalization of a state mental hospital population showed consistent reductions that were statistically significant in the elderly patient population 65 years and older. These reductions were most marked for deaths due to pneumonia; there was a moderate decrease in cardiac deaths, and essentially no change in cancer death rates. The findings suggest that through a variety of mechanisms deinstitutionalization may have had a beneficial effect on the mortality of elderly patients who remained hospitalized. Moreover, the resultant increased need for beds for these patients dramatizes the importance for program planners to base their projections for hospital use on a continuing analysis of trends rather than on static data.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
