Table 4.
Physical function and reintegration to normal life of hospital inpatients given post-acute care in nurse-led unit or conventional care
| Nurse-led unit | Conventional care | Difference in means (95% CI)
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uncontrolled | Controlled for referring ward | ||||
| Physical function (Barthel index*): | |||||
| At first discharge: | (n=104) | (n=108) | |||
| Mean | 74.8 | 70.0 | 4.8 (−1.5 to 11.1) | 2.5 (−1.5 to 6.5) | |
| Median (range) | 85 (0-100) | 75 (0-100) | |||
| At 6 months: | (n=82) | (n=66) | |||
| Mean | 74.0 | 68.5 | 1.1 (−0.7 to 2.8) | 0.8 (−0.7 to 2.3) | |
| Median (range) | 80 (0-100) | 75 (0-100) | |||
| Quality of life at 6 months (Wood-Dauphinee score†): | (n=59) | (n=50) | |||
| Mean | 16.3 | 15.4 | 0.9 (−0.7 to 2.4) | 0.9 (−0.7 to 2.4) | |
| Median (range) | 17 (4-22) | 16 (7-22) | |||
*
100 point scale with higher values indicating better function. Controlled model includes baseline Barthel index.
†
22 point scale with higher values indicating better reintegration. Scale completed during interviews with patients only, not with carer proxies.