Graphic Representation of Hourly Activity Counts May Identify Discharge Outcomes for Older Adults After Critical Illness.
Maya N Elías, Cindy L Munro, Zhan Liang
PMID 33492069WHAT IT FOUND
Older ICU survivors discharged home had higher post-ICU daytime activity counts than those sent to facilities.
Monitoring hourly activity may help nurses identify patients at risk for discharge to a care facility rather than home.
Key findings
01Participants discharged home had higher average hourly activity counts (2,862) compared to those discharged to inpatient rehab (2,062), skilled nursing facilities (1,901), or long-term acute care (478).
02Lower activity counts, particularly during morning and afternoon hours, were associated with discharge to a care facility instead of home.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Very small sample size (n=28 analyzed) prevents statistical inference. Short observation period (24 hours) may not capture longer-term recovery trends. Exploratory design without a control group. Convenience sampling from a single Level 1 trauma hospital limits generalizability.
Declared interests
The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the higher activity counts in home-discharged patients as proof that increasing activity causes better discharge outcomes. This was an observational pilot study with no statistical testing, so the association could be due to confounding factors like severity of illness or baseline health.