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# Virtual ward patients aged 70+ reported fewer depressive symptoms than inpatients
- URL: https://www.coios.me/virtual-ward-patients-aged-70-reported-fewer-depressive/
- Published: 2026-10-06T12:30:53.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-07T06:04:28.000Z
- Description: In a single-trust audit of 100 patients aged 70 and over, 72% of hospital inpatients scored 5 or more on the GDS-15 compared with 30% of those managed on a virtual ward, an unadjusted odds ratio of 6.00 (95% CI 2.53-14.24).
- Author: Daniel Ryan
- Tags: Tomorrow's world, Medicine at a distance, Frailty and multimorbidity, Mental health, United Kingdom, #peer-reviewed, #new, #item, #source-2026-10

A prospective comparative audit at East Cheshire NHS Trust assessed depressive symptoms and self-rated mood in 100 patients aged 70 and over, half treated as hospital inpatients and half through a hospital-at-home virtual ward, each after at least five days of care. A GDS-15 score of 5 or more was recorded in 72% of inpatients against 30% of virtual ward patients (unadjusted OR 6.00, 95% CI 2.53-14.24), and low self-rated mood in 38% against 6%. Comparisons were unadjusted, with baseline differences in sex and primary diagnosis between the groups.

*Why it is interesting: It reports a psychological outcome for a hospital-at-home service, though the design cannot separate the setting from who was placed in it.*

Source

[Cureus, 4 October 2026](https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.117440?ref=coios.me)

DOI

10.7759/cureus.117440

Type

Peer-reviewed article

Design

Prospective single-site comparative clinical audit, 100 patients aged 70+ (50 inpatient, 50 virtual ward), East Cheshire NHS Trust

Verdict

New finding

Driver

[Medicine at a distance](https://www.coios.me/d-remote-medicine/)

Driver

[Frailty and multimorbidity](https://www.coios.me/d-frailty-multimorbidity/)

Driver

[Mental health](https://www.coios.me/d-mental-health/)

Free full text

[Free to read at the publisher](https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.117440?ref=coios.me)