Short-term functional decline and service use in older emergency department patients with blunt injuries.
*Activities of Daily Living; 80 and over; 80 and Over; Academic Medical Centers; Activities of Daily Living; Aged; Bone/physiopathology/therapy; Clinical Assessment Tools; Comorbidity; Confidence Intervals; Descriptive Statistics; Emergency Care – In Old Age; Emergency Patients – In Old Age; Emergency Service; Family; Female; Fisher's Exact Test; Fractures; Functional Status – In Old Age; Geriatric Assessment; Geriatric Functional Assessment; Health Resource Utilization – In Old Age; Hospital/*statistics & numerical data; Hospitals; Human; Humans; Logistic Models; Logistic Regression; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Mental Status Schedule; Nonpenetrating – In Old Age; Nonpenetrating/*physiopathology/*therapy; OARS Multidimensional Functional Assessment Questionnaire; Odds Ratio; Ohio; Outcome Assessment; Outpatients; P-Value; Predictive Value of Tests; Prospective Studies; Questionnaires; Record Review; ROC Curve; Scales; Summated Rating Scaling; Surveys and Questionnaires; T-Tests; Teaching; Treatment Outcome; Treatment Outcomes; Wounds
BACKGROUND: Injuries are a common reason for emergency department (ED) visits by older patients. Although injuries in older patients can be serious, 75% of these patients are discharged home after their ED visit. These patients may be at risk for short-term functional decline related to their injuries or treatment. OBJECTIVES: The objectives were to determine the incidence of functional decline in older ED patients with blunt injuries not requiring hospital admission for treatment, to describe their care needs, and to determine the predictors of short-term functional decline in these patients. METHODS: This institutional review board-approved, prospective, longitudinal study was conducted in two community teaching hospital EDs with a combined census of 97,000 adult visits. Eligible patients were \textgreater or = 65 years old, with blunt injuries \textless48 hours old, who could answer questions or had a proxy. We excluded those too ill to participate; skilled nursing home patients; those admitted for surgery, major trauma, or acute medical conditions; patients with poor baseline function; and previously enrolled patients. Interviewers collected baseline data and the used the Older Americans Resources and Services (OARS) questionnaire to assess function and service use. Potential predictors of functional decline were derived from prior studies of functional decline after an ED visit and clinical experience. Follow-up occurred at 1 and 4 weeks, when the OARS questions were repeated. A three-point drop in activities of the daily living (ADL) score defined functional decline. Data are presented as means and proportions with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Logistic regression was used to model potential predictors with functional decline at 1 week as the dependent variable. RESULTS: A total of 1,186 patients were evaluated for eligibility, 814 were excluded, 129 refused, and 13 were missed, leaving 230 enrolled patients. The mean (+/-SD) age was 77 (+/-7.5) years, and 70% were female. In the first week, 92 of 230 patients (40%, 95% CI = 34% to 47%) had functional decline, 114 of 230 (49%, 95% CI = 43% to 56%) had new services initiated, and 76 of 230 had an unscheduled medical contact (33%, 95% CI = 27% to 39%). At 4 weeks, 77 of 219 had functional decline (35%, 95% CI = 29% to 42%), 141 of 219 had new services (65%, 95% CI = 58% to 71%), and 123 of 219 had an unscheduled medical contact (56%, 95% CI = 49% to 63%), including 15% with a repeated ED visit and 11% with a hospital admission. Family members provided the majority of new services at both time periods. Significant predictors of functional decline at 1 week were female sex (odds ratio [OR] = 2.2, 95% CI = 1.1 to 4.5), instrumental ADL dependence (IADL; OR = 2.5, 95% CI = 1.3 to 4.8), upper extremity fracture or dislocation (OR = 5.5, 95% CI = 2.5 to 11.8), lower extremity fracture or dislocation (OR = 4.6, 95% CI = 1.4 to 15.4), trunk injury (OR = 2.4, 95% CI = 1.1 to 5.3), and head injury (OR = 0.48, 95% CI = 0.23 to 1.0). CONCLUSIONS: Older patients have a significant risk of short-term functional decline and other adverse outcomes after ED visits for injuries not requiring hospitalization for treatment. The most significant predictors of functional decline are upper and lower extremity fractures.
Wilber Scott T; Blanda Michelle; Gerson Lowell W; Allen Kyle R
Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
2010
2010-07
Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1553-2712.2010.00799.x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1111/j.1553-2712.2010.00799.x</a>
Do elder emergency department patients and their informants agree about the elder's functioning?
*Activities of Daily Living; *Attitude to Health; *Geriatric Assessment; *Health Status; *Self-Assessment; Aged; Bias; Cross-Sectional Studies; Emergency Service; Emergency Treatment/*methods/standards; Family/*psychology; Female; Hospital; Humans; Inpatients/*psychology; Interviews as Topic/*standards; Male; Medical History Taking/*methods/standards; Mental Health; Quality of Life; Surveys and Questionnaires/*standards
OBJECTIVE: To compare elder patients' and their informants' ratings of the elder's physical and mental function measured by a standard instrument, the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 12 (SF-12). METHODS: This was a randomized, cross-sectional study conducted at a university-affiliated community teaching hospital emergency department (census 65,000/year). Patients \textgreater69 years old, arriving on weekdays between 10 AM and 7 PM, able to engage in English conversation, and consenting to participate were eligible. Patients too ill to participate were excluded. Informants were people who accompanied and knew the patient. Elder patients were randomized 1:1 to receive an interview or questionnaire version of the SF-12. The questionnaire was read to people unable to read. Two trained medical students administered the instrument. The SF-12 algorithm was used to calculate physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) component scores. Oral and written versions were compared using analysis of variance. The PCS and MCS scores between patient-informant pairs were compared with a matched t-test. Alpha was 0.05. RESULTS: One hundred six patients and 55 informants were enrolled. The patients' average (+/-SD) age was 77 +/- 5 years; 59 (56%; 95% CI = 46% to 65%) were women. There was no significant difference for mode of administration in PCS (p = 0.53) or MCS (p = 0.14) scores. Patients rated themselves higher on physical function than did their proxies. There was a 4.1 (95% CI = 99 to 7.2) point difference between patients' and their proxies' physical component scores (p = 0.01). Scores on the mental component were quite similar. The mean difference between patients and proxies was 0.49 (95% CI = 3.17 to 4.16). The half point higher rating by patients was not statistically significant (p = 0.79). CONCLUSIONS: Elders' self-ratings of physical function were higher than those of proxies who knew them. There was no difference in mental function ratings between patients and their proxies. Switching from informants' to patients' reports in evaluating elders' physical function in longitudinal studies may introduce error.
Gerson L W; Blanda M; Dhingra P; Davis J M; Diaz S R
Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
2001
2001-07
Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1553-2712.2001.tb00191.x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1111/j.1553-2712.2001.tb00191.x</a>
The impact of exercise on activities of daily living and quality of life: a primary care physician's perspective.
*Activities of Daily Living; *Physician's Role; *Primary Health Care; *Quality of Life; Aged; Chronic Obstructive/physiopathology/*therapy; Exercise/*physiology; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Pulmonary Disease
Evaluation of the environment of patients is an important function of the primary care physician and assists the caregiver in providing an improved quality of life for one's patients. In addition to data collection and therapy, assessment of both the basic and instrumental activities of daily living is a primary concern, especially in patients with chronic diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This article presents the perspective and observation of a primary care physician's management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and will give examples of how combined pulmonary rehabilitation and medication improved the quality of life for three patients and show how activities of daily living and quality of life may be seen as a continuum in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Belfer Mark H
COPD
2007
2007-09
Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1080/15412550701521993" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1080/15412550701521993</a>
The impact of Chiari malformation on daily activities: A report from the national Conquer Chiari Patient Registry database.
*Activities of Daily Living; *Disabled Persons; *Quality of Life; Adult; Arnold-Chiari malformation; Arnold-Chiari Malformation/classification/*complications; Automobile Driving; Daily living; Databases; Factual; Female; Food Handling; Housekeeping; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Physical activities; Quality of life; Recreational activities; Registries; Severity of Illness Index; United States; Walking
BACKGROUND: Chiari malformation (CM) is characterized by herniation of the cerebellar tonsils into the cervical spine. While ample literature on CM exists for clinical and procedural aspects of the disease, few studies have measured the impact CM has on daily activities. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to measure the impact that CM has on daily living activities. METHODS: Data was analyzed from 798 CM patients gathered by the national Conquer Chiari Patient Registry database. RESULTS: Results indicate CM is associated with negative impact on daily living and physical activities for patients, even those exhibiting mild symptoms. Participants with severe symptoms experience the greatest deficit with regards to daily living such as difficulty walking, driving, housecleaning and food preparation. CONCLUSIONS: As 96.1% of CM patients report impact in one or more areas of daily living, CM is classified as a disability according to 42 U.S. CODE section sign 12101 (Americans with Disabilities Act). The degree of self-reported CM symptom severity is strongly related to the frequency and extent of limitations in both physical and daily activities.
Meeker James; Amerine Jenna; Kropp Denise; Chyatte Michelle; Fischbein Rebecca
Disability and health journal
2015
2015-10
Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2015.01.003" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1016/j.dhjo.2015.01.003</a>