Older Adults With Hip Arthroplasty: An Individualized Transitional Care Program.

Area of Science:

• Geriatric medicine
• Orthopedic surgery nursing
• Rehabilitation science

Background:

• Older adults undergoing hip surgery frequently experience functional decline (FD), leading to adverse outcomes.
• Limited research exists on nursing interventions to mitigate FD in this population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate an individualized transitional care program (ITCP) designed to reduce functional decline in older adults following hip arthroplasty.

Main Methods:

• A quasiexperimental, nonequivalent control group design was employed.
• The study included 37 participants scheduled for hip arthroplasty, with 21 in the experimental ITCP group and 16 in the control group.

Main Results:

• The ITCP group reported reduced fear of falling two weeks post-surgery compared to the usual care group.
• Six weeks after hip arthroplasty, the experimental group demonstrated significantly less functional decline, with improvements in activities of daily living and Timed Up and Go scores.

Conclusions:

• Nurse-led rehabilitative practices, specifically the ITCP, are effective in reducing functional decline in older adults post-hip arthroplasty.
• The ITCP enhances individual physical functioning and supports healthy transitions for elderly patients, with potential applicability to other conditions.