PHOENIX: Hospital patients with dementia are more than twice as likely to experience preventable complications such as pressure ulcers and pneumonia, according to a new study by the University of Canberra.
The study found four complications in the treatment of patients aged over 50 cost $16,000 per person.
The team of six researchers found a diagnosis of pneumonia, urinary tract infections, pressure areas, and delirium resulted in an average of 3.6 additional days in hospital for those aged 50 or older.
“Our findings indicate that people with dementia have more than double the rates of complications than people without dementia and, consequently, a disproportionately large amount of the total additional costs,” the report said.
“For both dementia and non-dementia patients, the complications were associated with an eightfold increase in length of stay and doubled the increased estimated mean episode cost.”…