Examining heterogeneity of functional recovery among older adults with hip fractures.
OBJECTIVE
To examine heterogeneity in 1-year functional recovery following postacute rehabilitation among older adults with hip fracture.


METHODS
Two hundred twenty-five community-dwelling older adults with hip fracture who received postacute rehabilitation in 5 rehabilitation facilities in Baltimore, Maryland, were recruited during postacute rehabilitation (baseline) and follow-up at 2, 6, and 12 months following postacute rehabilitation discharge. Functional recovery was measured by the activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) scores. A mixed-effect model was used to examine factors associated with postacute rehabilitation functional recovery; fixed and random effects estimates from the models were used to demonstrate heterogeneity in functional recovery.


RESULTS
Results indicated that there was an overall trend in both ADL and IADL functional improvement at 2 months following postacute rehabilitation, with continued improvement to 6 months, after which functional recovery slowed down and remained constant through the year. Individuals whose functional recovery did not conform to these patterns were identified and their functional recovery that deviated substantially from the group mean was demonstrated.


CONCLUSIONS
Functional recovery patterns in elderly hip fracture patients are heterogeneous. To foster functional independence, health care professionals should consider individual recovery trajectories using a modeling approach appropriate for longitudinal or repeated measurement data such as a linear mixed-effects model when designing individualized rehabilitation and postacute rehabilitation care plans.
State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany, School of Public Health, Rensselaer, NY 12144, USA. yyoung@albany.edu
Yuchi
Y
Young
Kuangnan
K
Xiong
Robert M
RM
Pruzek
Larry J
LJ
Brant
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015142:Baltimore; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006620:Hip Fractures / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D012047:Rehabilitation Centers