COMPREHENSIVE LONG-TERM CARE: OBSERVATIONS ON CAPACITIES, GAPS, AND INTERINSTITUTIONAL COLLABORATION

Background
Population aging in Poland increases demand for long-term care and intensifies contacts between residents of long-term care facilities (LTCF) and emergency medical services (EMS) and emergency departments (ED). The aim of the study was to provide a concise assessment of the clinical profile and service use in a single LTCF in 2020-2024 and to identify independent predictors of adverse outcomes.

Material and methods
This retrospective observational study included all residents of an LTCF in the Masovian Voivodeship with 50 beds. Administrative and clinical data were analyzed for admissions, discharges, deaths, EMS interventions, and scheduled transports for diagnostics and consultations. Clinical variables included: age, gender, diagnoses coded with ICD-10, functional status.

Results
We included 118 residents with a mean age of 84 years. More than half had dementia diagnoses. The greatest organizational burden came from scheduled transports for diagnostics and consultations, which exceeded emergency interventions.

Conclusions
In the LTCF population, prognosis is driven mainly by advanced age and frailty severity measured by functional status. Findings support early risk stratification based on age and function as a rapid substitute for a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA), preference for on-site stabilization with teleconsultation when red flags are absent, and development of pathways outside the ED.