Differential characteristics in polypathological inpatients in internal medicine departments and acute geriatric units: The PLUPAR study

Abstract Aim To determine whether there are any differences between polypathological patients attended in Internal Medicine departments and acute Geriatric units. Methods A cross-sectional multicenter study was performed. Polypathological patients admitted to an internal medicine or geriatrics department and attended by investigators consecutively between March 1 and June 30, 2011 were included. Data of age, sex, living in a nursing residence or at home, diagnostic category, use of chronic medication, Charlson, Barthel and Lawton–Brody indexes, Pfeiffer questionnaire, delirium during last admission, need of a caregiver, and having a caregiver were gathered. The need of a caregiver was defined when the Barthel index was  Results 471 polypathological patients, 337 from internal medicine and 144 from geriatrics units were included. Geriatrics inpatients were older and more frequently female. Cardiac (62.1% vs 49.6%; p = .01), digestive (8.3% vs 3.0%; p = .04) and oncohematological diseases (30.2% vs 18.8%; p = .01) were more frequent in patients of internal medicine units and neurological (66.2% vs 40.2%; p  Conclusions There are differences in disease profile and functional and cognitive situation between polypathological patients of internal medicine and geriatrics departments.