Capsule Commentary on Chodos et al., Hospitalization-Associated Disability in Adults Admitted to a Safety Net Hospital

Excerpt

The study by Chodos et al.1 investigated hospitalization-associated disability, which is new or additional disability in activities of daily living at hospital discharge compared to pre-admission baseline,2 and its association with age in adults aged 55 and older hospitalized at a safety net hospital. Adults treated at safety net hospitals also tend to be more prone to hospitalization-associated disability due to a concentration of risk factors, including minority race, functional impairment, low socioeconomic status, substance abuse, and homelessness.3,4 The authors found that hospitalization-associated disability was common, occurring in one-fourth of adults aged 55–59, only very slightly higher among those aged 70–79 (30.3 %), and highest in adults aged 80 and above (61.7 %). They concluded that interventions to reduce hospitalization-associated disability should be considered in hospitalized adults as young as 55, but particularly among those 70 years and older at safety net hospitals. …