Research progress in the hospitalization-associated disability among elderly patients.

Abstract

Hospitalized patients who lose one or more activities of daily living at the time of discharge compared with 2 weeks before admission (before acute onset) are referred to as hospitalization-associated disability (HAD). The incidence of HAD is high among elderly patients, which leads to the increased readmission rates, long-term care rates, and mortality, bringing a huge burden on patients, families, and society. It is vital for doctors and nurses to identify the risk factors of HAD of the elderly patients and take targeted intervention measures to prevent and improve HAD. At present, the research on HAD in foreign countries is relatively perfect, while the research on HAD in China is still in its infancy, and there is still lack of systematic research and reports on the incidence, influencing factors, and intervention measures of HAD. Domestic clinical nursing practice can learn from foreign mature interventions, carry out cultural adjustment, create a friendly environment in the hospital for elderly patients, pay attention to the assessment of the influencing factors of HAD in elderly patients, and provide personalized and patient-centered nursing measures for hospitalized elderly patients according to the assessment results, maintain their function during hospitalization and prevent the occurrence of HAD.