Table 2.
Participant characteristics according to settings of admission
| Rehabilitation (N = 250) | Geriatrics (N = 1154) | Orthopedics (N = 107) | Neurology (N = 158) | Int. Medicine (N = 198) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 80.4 ± 7.7b,d | 83.2 ± 7.1 a,c,d,e | 80.8 ± 8.4 b,d | 77.7 ± 7.2 a,b,c,e | 80.7 ± 7.7 b,d | <0.001 |
| Female gender, n (%) | 153 (61.2) | 679 (58.8) | 72 (67.3)e | 81 (51.3) | 97 (49.0)c | 0.005 |
| Education, years | 7.3 ± 3.7b,e | 6.5 ± 3.8 a | 7.2 ± 4.5 | 7.0 ± 3.7 | 6.9 ± 3.4a | 0.004 |
| ADL before admission, mean score | 5 (1–6)b | 4 (1–6)a,c,d,e | 5 (3–6)b | 5 (2–6)b | 5 (2–6)b | <0.001 |
| 0 functions spared, n (%) | 32 (12.8) | 255 (22.1) | 8 (7.5) | 22 (13.9) | 24 (12.1) | |
| 1 function spared, n (%) | 34 (13.6) | 156 (13.5) | 9 (8.4) | 16 (10.1) | 25 (12.6) | <0.001 |
| 2 to 5 functions spared, n (%) | 92 (36.8) | 349 (30.2) | 41 (38.3) | 45 (28.5) | 62 (31.3) | |
| 6 functions spared, n (%) | 92 (36.8) | 394 (34.1) | 49 (45.8) | 75 (47.5) | 87 (43.9) | |
| Nutritional status, n (%) | ||||||
| Well nourished | 171 (68.4)b,d | 601 (52.1)a,d,e | 61 (57.0)d | 130 (82.3)a,b,c | 142 (71.7)b | <0.001 |
| At risk of malnutrition | 60 (24.0)a | 457 (39.6)b,d,e | 37 (34.6)d | 27 (17.1)b,c | 48 (24.2)b | |
| Malnourished | 19 (7.6)d | 96 (8.3)d | 9 (8.4)d | 1 (0.6)a,b,c | 8 (4.0) | |
| Charlson index (excluding dementia) | 1 (0–3) b,e | 3 (1–5) a,c,d | 1 (0–3) b,e | 2 (1–3)b,e | 3 (1–4) a,c,d | <0.001 |
| Dementia, n (%) | 50 (20.0)d | 304 (26.3)d | 18 (16.8) | 60 (38.0)a,b,e | 33 (16.7) d | <0.001 |
| No. drugs, on admission | 5 (3–6)e | 5 (4–7)c | 4 (3–6)b | 5 (3–6)e | 6 (4–7)a,d | <0.001 |
| Diuretics, n (%) | 122 (48.8)d | 624 (54.1)c,e | 36 (33.6)b | 80 (31.6)a,b,e | 97 (49.0)d | <0.001 |
| Antihypertensive, n (%) | 157 (62.8) | 723 (62.7) | 62 (57.9) | 99 (62.7) | 139 (70.2) | 0.228 |
| Antiplatelet drugs, n (%) | 93 (37.2)d | 473 (41.0)d | 37 (34.6)d | 80 (31.6)a,b,c,e | 97 (49.0)d | <0.001 |
| Antiarrhythmic drugs, n (%) | 27 (10.8) | 139 (12.0) | 7 (6.5) | 11 (7.0) | 28 (14.1) | 0.106 |
| Statins/lipid lowering drugs, n (%) | 56 (22.4) | 183 (15.9)d | 15 (14.0) | 41 (25.9)b | 47 (23.7) | 0.001 |
| Antidiabetics (including insulin), n (%) | 34 (13.6) | 227 (19.7) | 18 (16.8) | 30 (19.0) | 47 (23.7) | 0.082 |
| Antiulcer drugs, n (%) | 166 (66.4) | 783 (67.9)d | 74 (69.2) | 87 (55.1)b,e | 140 (70.7)d | 0.017 |
| Antibiotics, n (%) | 26 (10.4)b,c,e | 448 (38.8)a,d | 38 (35.5)a,d | 22 (13.9)b,c,e | 85 (42.9) a,d | <0.001 |
| Benzodiazepines, n (%) | 74 (29.6) | 259 (22.4) | 25 (23.4) | 51 (32.3) | 44 (22.2) | 0.018 |
| Antipsychotics, n (%) | 29 (11.6)d | 163 (14.1)d | 10 (9.3)d | 42 (26.6)a,b,c,e | 19 (9.6)d | <0.001 |
| Antidepressants, n (%) | 60 (24.0) | 226 (19.6)d | 22 (20.6) | 50 (31.6)b,e | 32 (12.6)d | 0.003 |
| Antiepileptics, n (%) | 24 (9.6)c,d | 61 (5.3)d | 0a,d | 34 (21.5)a,b,c,e | 6 (3.0)d | <0.001 |
| AChE-I/memantine, n (%) | 4 (1.6) | 22 (1.9)d | 1 (0.9) | 10 (6.3)b | 1 (1.0) | 0.003 |
| Feeding tubes (NT or PEG), n (%) | 3 (1.2) | 23 (2.0) | 4 (3.7) | 5 (3.2) | 5 (2.5) | 0.492 |
| Venous catheter, n (%) | 26 (10.4)b,c,d,e | 577 (50.0)a,c,d,e | 75 (70.1)a,b,d | 34 (21.5)a,b,c,e | 136 (68.7) a,b,d | <0.001 |
| Urinary catheter, n (%) | 28 (11.2)b,c,d,e | 364 (31.5)a,c | 66 (61.7)a,b,d,e | 35 (22.2)a,c | 46 (23.2)a,c | <0.001 |
| Physical restraints, n (%) | 68 (27.2)b | 465 (40.3)a | 44 (41.1) | 52 (32.9) | 62 (31.1) | <0.001 |
Data are expressed as mean + SD unless otherwise specified; IQR interquartile range, ADL Activities of Daily Living score, AChE-I acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, NT nasogastric tube, PEG percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy
p denotes significance on ANOVA for continuous or chi-square for categorical variables. Where significant group effects were detected, either Turkey or Dunn or Bonferroni tests indicated significant post hoc differences between individual groups, as follows:
aSignificant difference with Rehabilitation group
bSignificant difference with Geriatrics group
cSignificant difference with Orthopedics group
dSignificant difference with Neurology group
eSignificant difference with Internal Medicine group