[The characteristics of the delivery of hospital care to elderly patients under the current conditions].

Based on the epidemiological survey and materials on hospitalization of pensionable population in different regions of Ukraine real medical services requirements were determined for this category of population. 43.3% of urban population older than those capable of working need to be kept under continuous medical surveillance, the same being true of 37.2% of rural population. 10.6% and 8.3% of population respectively are in want of intensive short-term care in the in-patient departments of hospitals followed by supplementary treatment with making use of out-patient facilities. 4.3% and 9.5% of population need to be admitted into social care units and into nurse-tending units as well as into those units designed to provide long-term treatment for chronically sick patients. Models have been elaborated of the required duration, staging, and forms of in-patient treatment of pensionable patients as exemplified by cardiological patients. It is shown that treatment involving intensive care in a specialized in-patient facility and subsequent completion of the patient care in the day hospital, home hospital, unit for a prolonged treatment of chronically sick patients is more expedient from the economical standpoint than staying in hospital over the whole period of time required for the patient to resume his/her health.