Rehabilitation outcomes in a population of nonagenarians and younger seniors with hip fracture, heart failure, or cerebral vascular accident.

OBJECTIVES: To compare rehabilitation characteristics and patient outcomes between nonagenarians and younger seniors with hip fracture (HFx), heart failure (HF), or cerebral vascular accident (CVA). DESIGN: Data only, retrospective cohort. SETTING: Seven skilled nursing facilities providing rehabilitation services to a managed care organization. PARTICIPANTS: Subjects (N=2563; age, ≥65y) with HFx, HF, or CVA receiving rehabilitation services. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patient and rehabilitation characteristics influencing FIM score at discharge and the proportion of patients discharged to the community were compared between nonagenarians and younger seniors with HFx, HF, or CVA. RESULTS: Patients with higher admission FIM scores were discharged with better function. Different patient characteristics were important for successful rehabilitation for different conditions and outcomes. Except for HFx, nonagenarians had admission and discharge characteristics similar to those of younger seniors, although fewer were discharged to the community. Nonagenarians and younger seniors with CVA were most similar for all measures. CONCLUSIONS: Fewer nonagenarians were admitted from the community and fewer were discharged to the community, even if admitted from the community. Nonagenarians with HFx differed most strikingly from their younger counterparts in admission and discharge measures, as well as total discharge FIM score and discharge to the community. Nonagenarians and younger seniors with CVA were most similar for all measures. Our results suggest that a large proportion of the nonagenarian population can benefit from rehabilitation efforts for these 3 conditions; however, more rehabilitation resources may be required for some conditions to achieve similar outcomes.

Improving care for nursing home-acquired pneumonia in a managed care environment.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize care of nursing home residents who became ill with nursing home-acquired pneumonia (NHAP) in a group-model, nonprofit HMO, and to pilot-test a strategy to implement evidence-based NHAP care guidelines. STUDY DESIGN: Medical record review and intervention pilot test. METHODS: Nursing home medical records of 78 patients who developed NHAP in 6 homes where the HMO contracts for Medicare services were reviewed for demographics, functional status, comorbidity, NHAP severity, care processes, and guideline compliance. The intervention, combining organizational change (facilitating immunization and providing appropriate emergency antibiotics) and education (quarterly in-services for nursing and aide staff), was pilot-tested for 7 months in 1 facility. Measures of baseline and intervention guideline adherence at that facility were compared with Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: Among the patients with NHAP, 83% had a response from their physician in less than 8 hours, 82% were treated with an antibiotic that met spectrum recommendations, and 74% were able to swallow were treated with oral antibiotics. However, few patients had documentation of influenza and pneumococcal vaccination; less than half the direct care staff had been vaccinated; and nursing assessments were incomplete for 23%. At the pilot-test facility, improvement was seen in influenza vaccination (14% to 52%, P = .01) and use of the most appropriate antibiotics (47% to 85%; P = .03). The guideline adherence score improved from 52% to 63% (P = .04). CONCLUSION: Use of a multidisciplinary, multifaceted intervention resulted in improvement in quality of care for nursing home residents who become ill with pneumonia.

Rehabilitation outcomes in cognitively impaired patients admitted to skilled nursing facilities from the community.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the outcomes of patients with varying levels of cognitive impairment who received rehabilitation in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of the records of people admitted to SNFs for rehabilitation. SETTING: Seven SNFs in Colorado. PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling persons (N=7159), 65 years of age and older, admitted for rehabilitation after a hospitalization or decline in function between May 1998 and May 2002. Interventions Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cognitive impairment was assessed using a 4-level categorization of the FIM instrument cognitive score at admission. Functional gain was measured using the FIM. Community discharge was measured as the proportion of patients discharged to home, board and care, or assisted living facility. Rehabilitation progress was measured as the number of FIM points gained per day. RESULTS: Significant functional gains were made during rehabilitation in motor and cognitive FIM scores, regardless of cognitive impairment. The most cognitively impaired patients required more rehabilitation intervention, achieved less FIM gain, and were less likely to be discharged to the community. The strongest predictors of FIM gain were the amount of therapy hours and admission cognitive FIM score. The strongest predictors of discharge to the community were the discharge total FIM score and age. The strongest predictors of adequate rehabilitation progress were medical complexity and admission cognitive FIM score. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with cognitive impairment were able to recover function with rehabilitation intervention. Patients with a more serious cognitive impairment received more rehabilitation intervention than patients with less impairment. Outcomes were predicted by admission and rehabilitation measures that were qualitatively different from other discharge outcomes. Health care professionals need to consider these factors as they create a rehabilitation plan of care for patients with cognitive impairment.