[Health-related outcomes in shared-housing arrangements-results of a rapid review]

Shared-housing arrangements are relevant as a possible living arrangement alternative to living in a nursing home or residing in their own home for people in need of care. The aim was to record demonstrable differences in health-related outcomes between residents of shared-housing arrangements and residents of nursing homes.A rapid review was conducted to identify health-related outcomes in shared-housing arrangements. The literature search was carried out in September 2017 in the databases PubMed, CINAHL, Gerolit and LIVIVO. Comparative studies of German or English language were included when the nursing home was examined as a control group.The majority of the 21 studies included describes a favorable contribution of shared-housing arrangements compared to nursing homes. Quality of life is a frequently examined outcome that provides evidence of an advantage of shared-housing arrangements, especially for persons with dementia.A variety of health-related outcomes were examined. The results provide indications of favorable contributions of shared-housing arrangements. For the most part, there is still no conclusive evidence for outcomes based on studies of higher levels of evidence.