The cost of treating pneumonia in the nursing home setting.

Objective: To determine the costs of treating pneumonia in the nursing home setting and explore what factors are most responsible for that cost with a view to reducing cost.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: Thirty-six Missouri nursing homes participating in the study from April 1997 through September 1998.

An audit of nutritional care delivered to elderly inpatients in community hospitals.

Background: There is continuing concern over the lack of attention to the nutritional needs of older people in hospitals. A 2-year audit project was undertaken to examine the nutritional care of inpatients in Leicestershire Community Hospitals.

Method: The methods used included analysis of menu cycles; observation of meal and drink provision, wastage, supplement usage and portion sizes; and patient satisfaction questionnaire examination.