Admission Cognition and Function Predict Change in Physical Function Following Skilled Nursing Rehabilitation.
Katie A Butera, Allison M Gustavson, Jeri E Forster and 2 others
PMID 37863110WHAT IT FOUND
In skilled nursing rehab patients, better admission cognition and greater daily independence predicted larger gains in walking and balance; higher baseline walking and balance predicted smaller gains.
These are associations, not evidence a treatment works.
Key findings
01For each 1-SD higher Brief Interview for Mental Status score at admission, change in Short Physical Performance Battery score was 0.113 SD greater.
02For each 1-SD higher Barthel ADL Index score at admission, change in Short Physical Performance Battery score was 0.220 SD greater and change in gait speed was 0.174 SD greater.
03For each 1-SD higher Short Physical Performance Battery score at admission, change in Short Physical Performance Battery score was 0.255 SD smaller; for each 1-SD higher gait speed at admission, change in gait speed was 0.303 SD smaller.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
This was a secondary analysis of routine Minimum Data Set and electronic medical record data, so it could not include every factor that might affect recovery. Missing data were common, and if a discharge value was missing because the patient was rehospitalized, change was assumed to be zero. The Brief Interview for Mental Status is a broad cognitive screen and may not capture the full range of cognitive function in skilled nursing patients. The study followed patients only from skilled nursing admission to discharge, so it does not show whether these predictors apply after discharge. The study was observational and used existing records, so it cannot show that any treatment caused the physical function changes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these admission scores as proof that a particular therapy caused greater recovery. The study was observational and only modeled associations between baseline characteristics and change in physical function.