Influence of staff education on the function of hospitalized elders

Functional loss during hospitalization can prevent older adults from returning home. This study was designed to examine the effects of an intervention on discharge destination, function, length of stay (LOS), pressure ulcers, and fall rate in older adults ≥ 75 years old. The intervention included staff education on geriatric care and infrastructural change to promote function. Data on discharge destination and the change in function measured by Katz's activities of daily living (ADL) were collected. The LOS, pressure ulcer, and fall rate were compared with previous year's data using t-tests, and Chi-square analyses. There was a 14% increase in discharges to home (n = 404), minimal ADL loss (4.60 baseline ADL vs. 4.20 discharge ADL), and a significant decrease in nosocomial pressure ulcer. There was no decrease in LOS or fall rate. This preliminary study suggests that staff education with infrastructural change to promote independence may be helpful in patients' return to home, functional status, and hospital complications.