6

IntroductionDevelopments in geriatric care have made it possible to avoid unnecessary emergency admissions by facilitating direct hospitalization. In Clermont-Ferrand, a dedicated hotline regulates entry mode to the acute geriatric unit. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the entry mode (home or emergency) on the length of stay of patients hospitalized in the acute geriatric unit.Materials and methodsWe have retrospectively collected data on hospitalization of patients aged over 75 in the acute geriatric unit from January to March 2019. We also collected data on sociodemographics, autonomy score, MMS, comorbidity score, exit mode, previous year’s hospitalization, and polypharmacy.ResultsWe included 88 patients in the “direct” group and 184 patients in the “emergency” group. The characteristics of the two groups were comparable. The median length of stay for the “emergency” group was 14 days [9.5; 20] versus 12 [8.5; 18] for the “direct” group (p = 0.03). In multivariate analysis, ADL score and home lifestyle were correlated with duration of stay.ConclusionThe development of direct entrance pathways into the geriatric short-stay department by establishing dedicated hotlines decreases the length of stay.