Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Hospital Visits, and Comorbidities: National Survey of Residential Care Facilities, 2010

Objective: To characterize the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among residential care facility (RCF) residents in the United States, and to compare patterns of hospital visits and comorbidities with residents without COPD. Method: Resident data from the 2010 National Survey of Residential Care Facilities were analyzed. Medical history and information on past-year hospital visits for 8,089 adult residents were obtained from interviews with RCF staff. Results: COPD prevalence was 12.4%. Compared with residents without COPD, emergency department visits or overnight hospital stays in the previous year were more prevalent (p < .05) among residents with COPD. Less than 3% of residents with COPD had no comorbidities. Arthritis, depression, congestive heart failure (CHF), diabetes, coronary heart disease, and asthma were more common (p < .05) among residents with COPD than those without COPD, but Alzheimer's disease was less common. Discussion: COPD is associated with more emergency department visits, hospital stays, and comorbidities among RCF residents.