Predictors of walking ability at discharge post proximal femoral fracture in an acute care hospital.
Tomoyasu Endo, Yukinori Tsukuda, Atsushi Oishi and 1 others
PMID 40599834WHAT IT FOUND
Only 28.7% of patients regained walking ability by discharge from acute care after hip fracture surgery.
Pre-injury cognitive function was the only independent predictor. Low scores suggest a need for early transfer planning rather than assuming home discharge is feasible.
Key findings
01Only 28.7% of patients regained walking ability at discharge from the acute care hospital.
02Pre-injury cognitive function was the only significant independent predictor of walking ability on multivariate analysis.
03Patients who did not regain walking ability were not discharged directly to their own homes.
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 study was retrospective, relying on medical records which introduces potential selection bias and confounding factors. The sample size was small (n=122), which may have limited the ability to detect significant differences in other variables. The assessment focused solely on walking ability at discharge, ignoring other aspects of daily living independence. Patients with missing data were excluded, which may have influenced the results. The length of stay was shorter (mean <1 month) than in many previous studies, which may affect generalizability to settings with longer acute stays.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the significance of pre-injury cognitive function as proof that cognitive therapy will restore walking. This is an observational association, not a trial of an intervention.