According to research published by the Medical Journal of Australia, to help improve rehabilitation programs and effective discharge planning, older patients should be assessed for cognitive function and frailty on admission to hospital.
Researchers from the University of Melbourne, Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and the National University of Singapore found that 33% older patients admitted to hospital with a high level of independence before admission were not recovering this independence afterwards.
They suggest that proper assessment of brain function and frailty at the time of admission could provide better outcomes for these patients.
“Functional performance is defined as the ability to perform daily tasks of independent living, such as bathing, dressing, getting into and out of bed, eating, using the toilet, and being mobile in and around the home,” say the researchers.
“A decline in functional performance in people aged 65 years or more is associated with poor quality of life and greater risk of hospitalisation, both of which are risk factors for institutionalisation and death.”
According to the researchers, patients with good function prior to hospital admission who did not recover independence afterwards (the 33% group) “might need other interventions during rehabilitation” to improve outcomes.
They conclude that assessing cognition and frailty of older patients at admission was an important part of ensuring the “design of rehabilitation interventions and discharge planning” would optimise outcomes for patients.
For more information and to read the study, visit: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.5694/mja2.51138
