Assessing and restoring function in elderly people--more than rehabilitation.
OBJECTIVE
To quantify the medical component of assessing and restoring function in the elderly and to determine if a subset who did not require medical input could be identified.


METHODS
Prospective consecutive sample.


METHODS
Inpatient assessment, treatment and rehabilitation unit for the elderly in New Zealand.


METHODS
Two hundred patients aged 60-98 years.


METHODS
(1) Proportion of elderly people receiving rehabilitation who also required treatment of medical problems. (2) Characteristics of those not requiring medical input.


RESULTS
One hundred and seventy-two (86%) of people required some medical input during their hospital stay for rehabilitation. Forty-nine per cent had medical conditions which had a direct impact on their rehabilitation. Rehabilitation was delayed for a mean 16.8 (13.0-20.6)% of hospital stay when significant medical problems required treatment. People with previously undiagnosed conditions affecting rehabilitation tended to be older. The referral diagnoses most likely to result in an uncomplicated inpatient stay (i.e. rehabilitation only or rehabilitation with treatment of minor medical problems) were postsurgical treatment (55% uncomplicated), stroke (47% uncomplicated) or amputation (55% uncomplicated). However, 45-53% of people with these problems had a major medical component to their stay. People with other referral diagnoses or those admitted from institutions for the elderly were more likely to have a medical component to their stay.


CONCLUSIONS
Restoration of function in the elderly requires a combination of both medical and rehabilitation skills. Reliable predictors of those not requiring medical input could not be found.
Wilkinson
T J
TJ
Department of Health Care of the Elderly, Princess Margaret Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Buhrkuhl
D C
DC
Sainsbury
R
R
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012046:Rehabilitation / Q000379:methods*; D012494:Sampling Studies