[A three-months follow up of a randomized controlled trial of Assisted Walking Program for in-hospital geriatric patients].

Abstract

. A three-months follow up of a randomized controlled trial of Assisted Walking Program for in-hospital geriatric patients. INTRODUCTION Functional decline is common among older hospitalized patients. In fact, low mobility and bed rest during hospitalization have been considered as predictable causes of independent ambulation decline in older hospitalized patients. AIM PRIMARY ENDPOINT the older patients' walking ability change, compared with usual care, from hospital pre-admission/admission to discharge and 90 days follow-up, assessed with the Braden Activity subscale. The secondary end point was the occurrence of re-hospitalization and mortality. METHODS A 90-days follow-up randomized controlled trial, open labeled was conducted in a geriatric ward. RESULTS A total of 307 hospitalized patients (>65 years) were included. The intervention group received an Individualized Assisted Walking Program (IAWP), which significantly improved walking ability at discharge (p<.001) and 90-day follow-up (p=0.009), compared to the control group, which received the usual care. There were no significant differences in terms of mortality and re-hospitalizations. CONCLUSIONS An individualized assisted walking program improves walking abilitiy during hospitalization and over time. For this, a nurse staffing and workload reorganization, a multidisciplinary approach, and an early nurses' planning, could be relevant factors in influencing successfully the older patients' healthcare.