Predictors of life-space mobility in patients with fracture 3 months after discharge from convalescent rehabilitation ward: a prospective longitudinal study.
Hiroyuki Saito, Miyuki Sato, Masaki Kobayashi and 6 others
PMID 36866010WHAT IT FOUND
For older adults discharged home after fracture, three-month life-space mobility was predicted by fall-related self-efficacy, motor function, age, and gender, not by walking speed or balance tests.
Patients with lower fear of falling and better mobility scores moved more widely after discharge.
Key findings
01Fall-related self-efficacy, motor function, age, and gender were significant predictors of life-space mobility scores three months after discharge.
02Walking speed and balance measures were not selected as predictors, possibly because participants had higher walking function than typical inpatients.
03Fall-related self-efficacy, age, and gender also predicted whether patients reached the life-space level of 'places outside your town'.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The follow-up period occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, which likely reduced the frequency and range of outings for all participants, potentially skewing the LSA scores lower than they would have been in normal circumstances. The study did not examine other important sociodemographic variables such as family composition, financial situation, or long-term care insurance usage, which are known confounders for mobility. Participants were required to be ambulatory and cognitively intact enough to be discharged home, so the findings may not apply to those with severe cognitive impairment or those discharged to facilities. The study was single-center, which limits generalizability to other healthcare systems or populations.
Declared interests
The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lack of significance for walking speed and balance tests as evidence that these factors are unimportant for mobility. The authors suggest this may be because the participants in this study had relatively high walking function compared to general inpatients, so the range of ability was too narrow to detect differences.