Patterns of admission and discharge in an acute geriatric medical ward.

Patients admitted to a 30 bedded acute geriatric medical ward in 1993 were followed up to discharge. The admission rate on weekend days was half that for weekdays. Six percent of ward discharges occurred at weekends, over half being due to death. Respiratory, cardiovascular and central nervous systems disorders were the commonest reasons for admission (56%) and death (73%). Greater emphasis should be placed on discharging patients at weekends.