TITLE:
Modification in self-rated health in patients discharged by a geriatric rehabilitation ward
AUTHORS:
Eleonora Marelli, Giuseppe Procino, Maria Cottino, Giorgio Previderè, Silvio Giorgi, Davide Dell’Acqua, Santina Bruno, Marco Cairati, Danila Ferrari, Rosella Capuano, Mauro Colombo
KEYWORDS:
Cognition; Functional Gains; Geriatric Rehabilitation; Mood; Pain; Self-Rated Health
JOURNAL NAME:
Health,
Vol.5 No.6B,
June
27,
2013
ABSTRACT: Self-rated health is a valuable outcome in geriatric rehabilitation
besides objective results. The present work aims at measuring and analyzing
overall health as it is perceived at admission into and at discharge from a
geriatric rehabilitation ward. Overall health was self-appraised through a
visual-analogue scale (VAS), spanning from 0 (worst) to 10 (best). We studied
1997 patients (70% females), aged 79 (standard deviation, s.d. 8.7) years;
most were frail, either functionally, clinically and cognitively. 80% of patients
were discharged to home after a length of stay lasting 47.5 (s.d. 22.7) days.
At admission, 3/5 patients appraised favorably their overall health (VAS ≥
6/10): at discharge, the proportion rose to 3/4, with a mean (s.d.) gain = 2
(2) points. The improvement in self-perceived health score positively
correlates with the grade expressing clients’ overall satisfaction for the stay
(p 0.001), and with discharge versus
admission differences in: Barthel Index (BI) total score (p items GDS), pain (VAS 0 to 10). A
Linear regression model predicting the changes in self-perceived health included
changes in BI, MMSE, GDS, pain, dropping Tinetti test. Changes in self-rated
health were positively correlated to functional gain adjusted for pre-morbid
level, and to relative functional gain. By analysis of variance, health
self-appraisal changed more favorably in patients discharged to home than for
other social outcomes (all p