The admission of older patients to a dedicated short stay medical unit: learning from experience.

The admission of older patients with acute medical problems to short stay medical units (SSMUs) is controversial in light of their longer expected length of in-patient stay (LoS), coupled with the greater resources required by such a department. We undertook a prospective study of 120 consecutive SSMU patients aged 60 years or over, to find out whether information gained during the admissions process could predict which candidates would subsequently have a successful SSMU outcome, as well as to assess the overall suitability of the SSMU to older patients. Our redesigned acute medicine services at Addenbrooker's Hospital (Cambridge, UK) have taken account of our results, and we continue to admit older patients to our new Medical Short Stay Emergency Unit.