Objective: To provide reasons for admission, comorbidities, physical and psychosocial characteristics, and outcome of older patients admitted to hospital in Sri Lanka, and to assess adequacy of routine assessment.
Design: Descriptive study.
Setting: University Medical Unit, National Hospital of Sri Lanka during 10 weeks commencing August 2003.
Patients: All > or = 65 years admitted to the unit, excluding transfers for specialised management and direct admissions by consultants or clinics; 75 men and 75 women.
Measurements: Vision, hearing and speech, tests for tendency to fall, basic activities of daily living (BADL), mood and cognition, body mass index and waist circumference.
Results: Seventy three per cent and 40% had cognitive dysfunction and depression., 20% required assistance in > or = 5/9 BADL, 23% had unprovoked falls within past year, and 57% had a tendency to fall, 34% had < or =6/60 vision.
Conclusions: Falls, depression, cognitive dysfunction and severe visual impairment were present in substantial proportions, unidentified by routine assessment of older patients.