Identification of prognostic factors for activities of daily living in elderly patients after hospitalization for acute infectious disease in Japan: A 6-month follow-up study

Aim: We investigated factors that predict the prognosis of activities of daily living (ADL) in elderly patients who had undergone rehabilitation during hospitalization for acute infectious disease.

Methods: The present prospective cohort study included 131 patients who were hospitalized due to acute infectious disease and who had undergone rehabilitation during hospitalization. Patient characteristics collected from medical records included age, sex and comorbidity score. The level of ADL 2 weeks before admission was assessed by interview at the start of rehabilitation. Grip strength testing, Short Physical Performance Battery as an assessment of lower limb function and the Mini-Mental State Examination as an assessment of cognitive status were carried out at the time of hospital discharge. The level of ADL at 6 months after discharge was assessed by telephone interview. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors that independently predict ADL dependence (defined as being dependent in one or more ADL items at 6 months after discharge).

Results: The average age of participants was 81.5 years, and 52.7% were women. A total of 22.1% of patients showed dependence in an ADL at 6-month follow-up. Factors that predicted an ADL dependence were comorbidity score (OR 4.19, 95% CI 1.19-14.69) and lower limb function (OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.36-0.72) at discharge.

Conclusions: The present findings have implications for the healthcare planning and well-being of elderly patients during hospitalization and after discharge. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2018; 18: 615-622.