AIM: To compare the treatment, patient satisfaction, life quality and costs of elective referred patients seen by a geriatric team at home or in a geriatric day hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Elective patients were randomised to primary contact by home visit (n = 175) or to primary contact in the day hospital (n = 176), median age 81 and 83 years, median Barthel Index 85 and 85, MMSE 25 and 25. 61% of elective referrals were randomised. RESULTS: There were no differences between the two groups' number of problems regarding referrals, treatment offered, number of blood tests, number of x-rays, number of outpatient contacts, number of admissions to hospital wards or number of diagnosis. The patient had to invest on average 99.5 min together with the geriatric team at the first visit at home and 57.7 min on following visits. The patient had to invest more time if seen in the day hospital: 159.0 min at the first visit and 120 min at the following visits. Despite this difference in time-consumption, no differences were found in patient satisfaction or life quality. Of the overall time used by the geriatric team for home visits 20% was used for transportation at the first visit and 30% at the following visits. On average the hospital costs were 3.50 hours/activity at home visits as compared to 1.55 hours/activity in the day hospital. CONCLUSION: Geriatric home visits are expensive and time-consuming.

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