Effectiveness of the "Elderly Activity Performance Intervention" on elderly patients' discharge from a short-stay unit at the emergency department: a quasi-experimental trial

• Published in: Clinical interventions in aging 2018-01, Vol.13, p.737-747
• Main Authors: Nielsen, Louise Moeldrup, Maribo, Thomas, Kirkegaard, Hans, Petersen, Kirsten Schultz, Lisby, Marianne, Oestergaard, Lisa Gregersen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activities of daily living; Acute care; ADL; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Clinical medicine; Comorbidity; Denmark - epidemiology; Elderly; Elderly patients; Emergencies - epidemiology; Emergency medical care; Emergency Service, Hospital - statistics & numerical data; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Frailty; Geriatrics; Hospital emergency services; Hospitals; Humans; Incidence; Intervention; Male; Medical research; Nursing homes; Occupational therapy; Occupational Therapy - methods; Older people; Original Research; Patient Discharge - trends; Patient Readmission - trends; Patients; performance of daily activities; Primary care; Quasi-experimental methods; Regression analysis; Rehabilitation; Systematic review; Therapists
• ISSN: 1178-1998; 1176-9092; 1178-1998
• DOI: 10.2147/CIA.S162623

To examine the effectiveness of the Elderly Activity Performance Intervention on reducing the risk of readmission in elderly patients discharged from a short-stay unit at the emergency department. The study was conducted as a nonrandomized, quasi-experimental trial. Three hundred and seventy-five elderly patients were included and allocated to the Elderly Activity Performance Intervention (n=144) or usual practice (n=231). The intervention consisted of 1) assessment of the patients' performance of daily activities, 2) referral to further rehabilitation, and 3) follow-up visit the day after discharge. Primary outcome was readmission (yes/no) within 26 weeks. The study was registered in ClinicalTrial.gov (NCT02078466). No between-group differences were found in readmission. Overall, 44% of the patients in the intervention group and 42% in the usual practice group were readmitted within 26 weeks (risk difference=0.02, 95% CI: [-0.08; 0.12] and risk ratio=1.05, 95% CI: [0.83; 1.33]). No between-group differences were found in any of the secondary outcomes. The Elderly Activity Performance Intervention showed no effectiveness in reducing the risk of readmission in elderly patients discharged from a short-stay unit at the emergency department. The study revealed that 60% of the elderly patients had a need for further rehabilitation after discharge.