DOES PSYCHIATRIC MORBIDITY PREDICT MORTALITY IN CONTINUING CARE GERIATRIC INPATIENTS

All patients in continuing care geriatric beds in a London Health District were screened for psychiatric morbidity and physical dependency in 1990. This sample was followed up 1 year after screening. Forty-four per cent (32/72) were dead at follow-up. Patients in hospital-based continuing care beds had higher mortality than those in health authority beds in a private nursing home. Dementia, physical dependency and depression measured by Depressive Signs Scale (DSS) were associated with mortality. Using multivariate analysis, to partial out independent effects, depressive signs score measured by the DSS was the only significant predictor of mortality.