Hospitalized older adult: predictors of functional decline

to identify the predictors of functional decline in hospitalized individuals aged 70 or over, between: baseline and discharge; discharge and follow-up, and baseline and three-month follow-up.

a prospective cohort study conducted in internal medicine services. A questionnaire was applied (clinical and demographic variables, and predictors of functional decline) at three moments. The predictors were determined using the binary logistic regression model.

the sample included 101 patients, 53.3% female, mean age of 82.47 ± 6.57 years old. The predictors that most contributed to decline in hospitalization were the following: previous hospitalization (OR=1.8), access to social support (OR=4.86), cognitive deficit (OR=6.35), mechanical restraint (OR=7.82), and not having a partner (OR=4.34). Age (OR=1.18) and medical diagnosis (OR=0.10) were the predictors between discharge and follow-up. Being older, delirium during hospitalization (OR=5.92), and presenting risk of functional decline (OR=5.53) were predictors of decline between the baseline and follow-up.

the most relevant predictors were age, previous hospitalization, cognitive deficit, restraint, social support, not having a partner, and delirium. Carrying out interventions aimed at minimizing the impact of these predictors can be an important contribution in the prevention of functional decline.