Recovery from a serious fall depends on a patient's health trajectory before the fall, according to research published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Researchers followed more than 700 geriatric patients living in a community-living setting. Of the participants, 130 suffered a serious fall leading to hospitalization.
Of the study participants who fell, 9.2 percent experienced rapid recovery, 26.9 percent experienced gradual recovery, 20 percent experienced little recovery and 43.8 experienced no recovery.
The recovery percentages mirrored initial disability evaluations for the group, 12.3 percent of which had no disability, 26.2 of which had mild disability, 26.2 percent of which had moderate disability, 26.2 percent of which had progressive disability and 17.7 percent of which had severe disability.
The type of recovery experienced was highly related to initial disability, with rapid recovery patients being no more than moderately disabled and rapid or gradual recovery almost absent among those with progressive or severe disability.
More Articles on Quality:
California Fines 9 Hospitals 750k for Negligence, Errors
Death Risk for Weekend Admission Differs
Burnout More Frequent in Hospitalists