SANTANA Cohort: Study on Frailty in Institutionalised Older Adults and Its Relationship With Gordon's Functional Health Patterns.
Victoria Pérez-Rugosa, Isabel Núñez-Castro, Wendy Celeste Carriles-Freire and 2 others
PMID 39740079WHAT IT FOUND
In 1245 nursing home residents, frailty was present in 25% at baseline and 51.7% after 5 years.
Nurses' activity-exercise and social-relationship assessments tracked frailty, but the study did not test whether this changes patient care.
Key findings
01At baseline, 25% of 1245 residents were frail, 55.3% were prefrail and 25.25% were robust.
02At 5-year follow-up, 51.7% of the 903 remaining residents were frail, 34.8% were prefrail and 13.5% were robust.
03In the adjusted model, Pattern 4 and Pattern 8 were associated with frailty with values of 0.45 and 0.38 at baseline and 0.52 and 0.45 at follow-up.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample came from nursing homes run by one religious order, and the homes were chosen for accessibility, so results may not apply to other older adult populations. Residents had to be able to consent and walk or stand with assistance; advanced dementia, terminal illness and total dependence were excluded, so the study does not describe the most severely impaired residents. 342 of 1245 residents were lost by 5 years, mostly due to death, so follow-up findings apply only to the 903 remaining residents. The study reports associations and prevalence, not tested interventions, so it cannot show that Gordon's patterns, PT or OT assessments, or nursing diagnoses change frailty or patient outcomes. The paper does not state a funding source.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The supplied text does not state a funding source.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that Gordon's patterns or nursing diagnoses improve frailty outcomes. The study reports associations in a selected nursing home cohort and did not test an intervention, so it cannot show that changing activity or social relationships prevents frailty.