Misplaced elderly patients in hospital: clarifying responsibilities.

In an attempt to assess the service provided by a geriatric department for the elderly population within its District, a census of the elderly patients occupying general medical beds in the same District was undertaken. These patients were assessed according to five criteria which identified patients as 'geriatric'. Sixty-one per cent of the patients occupying general medical beds were over the age of 65 years, and almost a half of these were geriatric according to the criteria used. The authors conclude that quantifying misplaced geriatric patients by screening for geriatric characteristics in a general medical population was a useful way of auditing the performance of a geriatric service.