title: Balance outcomes from two small rural hospitals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe predicted and measured balance changes in patients receiving physiotherapy in two rural hospitals, and to explore the relationship among balance at discharge, carer availability and patients' discharge destination.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective measurement study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two rural Australian hospitals.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-nine inpatients with a median age of 84.
  
  
  METHODS
  Berg Balance Scale (BBS) on admission and the treating physiotherapist's estimate at admission of individual patient's discharge BBS. Follow-up measures included discharge BBS, carer availability after discharge and patient discharge destination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although change in measured balance of study participants had wide variability, balance measured by the BBS displayed a statistically and clinically significant improvement. A strong relationship was found between balance scores and discharge destination. However, no relationship was found between carer availability and discharge destination. Physiotherapists' estimates of discharge BBS displayed an average error of 7/56.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The strong relationship between measured balance and discharge destination in these elderly study participants suggests that maximising their balance might minimise admissions to nursing home. The high variability of measured balance change suggests outcomes are difficult to predict. The study results suggest that premature assessment of patient's suitability for nursing home placement should be avoided. The accuracy of physiotherapist's estimates of discharge BBS suggests that greater weight might be placed on their input to facilitate the discharge planning process.
authors.affiliation: Bellingen Hospital, Bellingen, New South Wales, Australia. stephen.downs@ncahas.health.nsw.gov.au
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Downs
authors.forename: Jodie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marquez
authors.forename: Pauline
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chiarelli
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006743:Hospital Bed Capacity, under 100; D006760:Hospitalization; D006780:Hospitals, Rural; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009517:New South Wales; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D010351:Patient Discharge; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies