Dataset Information

Disability and Recovery After Hospitalization for Medical Illness Among Community-Living Older Persons: A Prospective Cohort Study.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

To determine for each basic, instrumental, and mobility activity after hospitalization for acute medical illness: (1) disability prevalence immediately before and monthly for 6 months after hospitalization; (2) disability incidence 1 month after hospitalization; and (3) recovery time from incident disability during months 2 to 6 after hospitalization.

Design

Prospective cohort study.

Setting

New Haven, Connecticut.

Participants

A total of 515 community-living persons, mean age 82.7?years, hospitalized for acute noncritical medical illness and alive within 1?month of hospital discharge.

Measurements

Disability was defined monthly for each basic (bathing, dressing, walking, transferring), instrumental (shopping, housework, meal preparation, taking medications, managing finances), and mobility activity (walking a quarter mile, climbing flight of stairs, lifting/carrying 10 pounds, driving) if help was needed to perform the activity or if a car was not driven in the prior month.

Results

Disability was common 1 and 6 months after hospitalization for activities frequently involved in leaving the home to access care including walking a quarter mile (prevalence 65% and 53%, respectively) and driving (65% and 61%). Disability was also common for activities involved in self-managing chronic health conditions including meal preparation (53% and 41%) and taking medications (41% and 31%). New disability was common and often prolonged. For example, 43% had new disability walking a quarter mile, and 30% had new disability taking medications, with mean recovery time of 1.9 months and 1.7 months, respectively. Findings were similar for the subgroup of persons residing at home (ie, not in a nursing home) at the first monthly follow-up interview after hospitalization.

Conclusion

Disability in specific functional activities important to leaving home to access care and self-managing health conditions is common, often new, and present for prolonged time periods after hospitalization for acute medical illness. Post-discharge care should support patients through extended periods of vulnerability beyond the immediate transitional period. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:486-495, 2020.

SUBMITTER: Dharmarajan K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7735402 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Disability and Recovery After Hospitalization for Medical Illness Among Community-Living Older Persons: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Dharmarajan Kumar K Han Ling L Gahbauer Evelyne A EA Leo-Summers Linda S LS Gill Thomas M TM

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 20200221 3

<h4>Objectives</h4>To determine for each basic, instrumental, and mobility activity after hospitalization for acute medical illness: (1) disability prevalence immediately before and monthly for 6 months after hospitalization; (2) disability incidence 1 month after hospitalization; and (3) recovery time from incident disability during months 2 to 6 after hospitalization.<h4>Design</h4>Prospective cohort study.<h4>Setting</h4>New Haven, Connecticut.<h4>Participants</h4>A total of 515 community-liv ...[more]

PMID: 32083319

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Dataset Information

Disability and Recovery After Hospitalization for Medical Illness Among Community-Living Older Persons: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Objectives

Design

Setting

Participants

Measurements

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Disability and Recovery After Hospitalization for Medical Illness Among Community-Living Older Persons: A Prospective Cohort Study.

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