Influence of patients' walking ability at one-week post-proximal femur fracture surgery on the choice of discharge destination in Japan.
Kyosuke Fukuda, Takashi Amari, Kohei Yoshino and 2 others
PMID 36507077WHAT IT FOUND
Walking ability one week after hip fracture surgery predicts discharge home.
Patients with supervised walking ability were nearly twice as likely to go home. However, having a relative living together was a much stronger predictor, with patients four times more likely to be discharged home.
Key findings
01Good walking ability one week after surgery was associated with an increased likelihood of being discharged home.
02Having a co-resident at home was a stronger predictor of discharge home than walking ability.
03Patients with good walking ability one week after surgery had significantly higher independence scores at discharge.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study used the Functional Ambulation Categories (FAC), which assesses walking in a straight line and may not reflect actual walking ability in daily life situations. Postoperative delirium and pneumonia were identified through clinical observation and physician diagnosis in medical records, which may have led to classification errors. The study did not evaluate specific physical impairments like muscle strength, balance, or joint range of motion, only overall walking category and ADL independence. Co-resident status was recorded as a binary variable (yes/no) without assessing the specific caregiving abilities or availability of the co-resident. The study was retrospective and single-center, which may limit generalizability to other healthcare systems or populations.
Declared interests
There are no conflicts of interest to declare.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that improving walking ability alone will guarantee a home discharge. The study found that having a relative living together was a much stronger predictor (odds ratio 4.6) than walking ability (odds ratio 1.9), meaning social support is a critical factor in the discharge decision.