The Geriatric Day Hospital is an ambulatory structure where a diagnostic and therapeutic approach is offered to old frail adults. This is a good therapeutic option, considered to be an alternative to a conventional hospital stay. This article was aimed to describe Belgian geriatric day hospitals based on existing medical literature. It also reports on the history of these geriatric day hospitals, both in Belgium and worldwide. This article has also presented and commented the results, along with comments, pertaining to a meta-analysis and national surveys published since 2007. Compared to published studies, Belgian Geriatric Day Hospitals are more oriented to diagnosis rather than rehabilitation, which is less developed. Day hospitals represent a good opportunity for a comprehensive geriatric assessment performed by an interdisciplinary team and designed to assess geriatric syndromes reflected by functional decline, frailty, falls, memory complaints, poor nutrition, etc. They are considered to constitute a good link between hospitals, general practitioners, and the healthcare network.
Key Words
Geriatric Day Hospital, Elderly, Ambulatory care
What is already known about the topic?
Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment is an evidence-based process with proven benefits in geriatric evaluation and management. However, hospital stays are associated with an increased risk of adverse outcomes, such as functional decline, falls, delirium, iatrogenic events, or nosocomial infections.
What does this article bring up for us?
The potential benefits of a geriatric day hospital, as follows:
1) Access to technical examinations or specialists as an alternative to conventional hospitalization;
2) Comprehensive geriatric assessment aimed to implement a coordinated care programm;
3) Good support for primary care physicians and healthcare network.