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Dementia in the acute hospital: prospective cohort study of prevalence and mortality
Sampson EL, Blanchard MR, Jones L, Tookman A, King M.. The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science, 2009-07-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Background Increasing numbers of people will die with dementia, many in the acute hospital. It is often not perceived to be a life-limiting illness. Aims To investigate the prevalence of dementia in older people undergoing emergency medical admission and its effect on outcomes. Method Longitudinal cohort study of 617 people (aged over 70). The main outcome was mortality risk during admission. Results Of the cohort, 42.4% had dementia (only half diagnosed prior to admission). In men aged 70-79, dementia prevalence was 16.4%, rising to 48.8% of those over 90. In women, 29.6% aged 70-79 had dementia, rising to 75.0% aged over 90. Urinary tract infection or pneumonia was the principal cause of admission in 41.3% of the people with dementia. These individuals had markedly higher mortality; 24.0% of those with severe cognitive impairment died during admission (adjusted mortality risk 4.02, 95% CI 2.24-7.36). Conclusions The rising prevalence of dementia will have an impact on acute hospitals. Extra resources will be required for intermediate and palliative care and mental health liaison services.
Key findings
- Results Of the cohort, 42.4% had dementia (only half diagnosed prior to admission).
Why it matters
Many older people admitted to hospital for emergency care had dementia, often undiagnosed before admission, and those with severe cognitive impairment had higher death rates during admission. This describes hospital outcomes and does not test any treatment or cure for dementia.
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Study details
- Study designcohort study
- Participants617
- Effect size42.4%; 16.4%; 48.8%
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 68/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | The British Journal of Psychiatry: journal h-index 376 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A cohort study following people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2009 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 617 participants |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 605 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 31.8 citations a year over 19 year(s) since 2009 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 12.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 20 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 57 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Michael King: h-index 100 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University College London: institution h-index 2,029 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 7 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 19567898) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 68 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
- DOI: 10.1192/bjp.bp.108.055335
- PubMed: 19567898
- Original source →
- Free full text: The British Journal of Psychiatry →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Sampson, E. L., Blanchard, M. R., Jones, L., Tookman, A., & King, M. (2009). Dementia in the acute hospital: prospective cohort study of prevalence and mortality. The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.108.055335
Vancouver
Sampson EL, Blanchard MR, Jones L, Tookman A, King M. Dementia in the acute hospital: prospective cohort study of prevalence and mortality. The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science. 2009. doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.108.055335. PMID: 19567898.
BibTeX
@article{sampson2009-19567898,
author = {Sampson, E. L. and Blanchard, M. R. and Jones, L. and Tookman, A. and King, M.},
title = {{Dementia in the acute hospital: prospective cohort study of prevalence and mortality}},
journal = {The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science},
year = {2009},
doi = {10.1192/bjp.bp.108.055335},
pmid = {19567898},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.108.055335}
}
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