Effects of admission to a nursing unit.

This paper describes the results of a study of elderly patients admitted to hospital with fractured neck of femur, cerebral vascular accident or amputation of a lower limb who were, immediately post-crisis, transferred to a unit where nursing was perceived as the chief therapeutic activity. Patients' outcomes were compared with a control group who followed a normal patient pathway, either remaining in an acute hospital ward until discharge or being transferred to a community hospital for part of their stay. The study was a modified replication of a small pilot study carried out between 1983 and 1985.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes