Patient experiences and outcomes in a South Australian stand-alone Hospital in the Home program

Objectives. This study aimed to compare clinical outcomes for patients admitted to Hospital in the Home (HITH) and traditional (bricks-and-mortar) hospitals and explore patient and carer experiences.

Methods. A mixed methods approach including triangulation of quantitative and qualitative data was used. Quantitative outcomes were compared using augmented inverse propensity weighting to adjust for differences in patient characteristics between groups. Qualitative data was collected by focus groups and interviews and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The study took place in metropolitan Adelaide and one adjacent regional health network in 2020–22. Participants were patients discharged from either hospital setting with 1 of 22 eligible diagnoses. Hospital administrative data informed a comparison of outcomes that included mortality, rate of emergency department re-presentations and re-admissions, length of stay and incidence of complications.

Results. Patients treated in HITH were less unwell than traditional hospital patients. There were no safety or quality concerns identified in the clinical outcomes. Of 2095 HITH patients, the in-patient mortality rate was 0.2%, and 2.3% experienced a return to a bricks-and-mortar hospital during the HITH admission. For HITH patients, the mortality rate after 30 days was lower (−1.3%, 95% CI −2 to −0.5, P = 0.002), as were re-presentations in 28 days (−7.2%, 95% CI −9.5 to −5, P < 0.0001), re-admissions in 28 days (−4.9%, 95% CI −6.7 to −3.2, P < 0.001) and complications (−0.6%, 95% CI −0.8 to −0.5, P < 0.001). Interviews of 35 patients and six carers found that HITH was highly accepted and preferred by patients. HITH was perceived to free up resources for other, more acutely unwell patients.

Conclusions. HITH was preferred by patients and at least as effective in delivering quality health care as a traditional hospital, although the potential for unobserved confounding must be acknowledged.