Centre for Policy on Ageing



Functional status before hospitalization in acutely ill older adults: validity and clinical importance
Author(s)	Kenneth E Covinsky, Robert M Palmer, Steven R Counsell
Journal title	Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, vol 48, no 2, February 2000
Pages	pp 164-169
Keywords	Independence ; Mobility ; Death ; Ill health ; Admission [hospitals] ; United States of America.
Annotation	Retrospective reports of patients' functional status before hospital admission are often used in longitudinal studies. However, the validity of these reports has not been established. This study tested the validity of retrospective reports by testing hypotheses about the relationships these measures would have with other clinical measures if they were valid. A total of 2877 older hospital patients participated in the study. Findings revealed that hospitalised patients' assessments of their ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs) before their hospitalisation showed evidence of face and predictive value. The measures were strong predictors of important health outcomes, such as functioning and survival. In particular, among patients dependent in ADL function on hospital admission, these results highlight the prognostic importance of inquiring about the patient's functional status before the onset of acute illness. (AKM).
Accession Number	CPA-000502404 A
Classmark	C3: C4: CW: CH: LD:QKH: 7T
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.