Pneumonia and Lower Respiratory Infections in Nursing Home Residents: Predictors of Hospitalization and Mortality

• Published in: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS) 2007-03, Vol.55 (3), p.414-419
• Main Authors: Chan Carusone, Soo B., Walter, Stephen D., Brazil, Kevin, Loeb, Mark B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living - classification; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; Critical Pathways; Epidemiology; Female; General aspects; Geriatric Assessment - statistics & numerical data; Heart Failure - mortality; Homes for the Aged - statistics & numerical data; Hospitalization; Hospitalization - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Mortality; nursing home; Nursing homes; Nursing Homes - statistics & numerical data; Older people; Ontario; Pneumonia; Pneumonia, Bacterial - mortality; Pneumonia, Bacterial - therapy; predictors; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Quality of Life; Respiratory diseases; Risk Factors; Statistics as Topic; Survival Analysis
• ISSN: 0002-8614; 1532-5415
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2007.01070.x

OBJECTIVES: To compare predictors of hospitalization and death in nursing home residents with pneumonia and other lower respiratory infections (LRIs). DESIGN: A nested cohort study. SETTING: Nine nursing homes in southern Ontario. PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred fifty‐three nursing home residents with LRIs (enrolled in the control arm of a clinical trial). MEASUREMENTS: Comorbidities, vaccination status, age, health‐related quality of life, functional status, and vital statistics were evaluated as potential predictors of hospitalization and mortality at 30 days. RESULTS: Moderate to high disease severity score on a practical severity scale was a strong independent predictor of hospitalization (odds ratio (OR)=7.12, P