Exercise Program Implementation Proves Not Feasible During Acute Care Hospitalization

Main Category: Rehabilitation / Physical Therapy
Article Date: 14 Apr 2007 - 12:00 PDT

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Reports have demonstrated a high probability that older adults hospitalized for acute medical conditions will experience a decline in physical function. We investigated the feasibility of an inpatient followed by an in-home exercise program for patients with limited ambulatory ability at hospital admission.

We designed our original pilot study to be a randomized controlled trial involving an exercise group and a controlled group with a planned enrollment of 50 subjects.

However, 10 were recruited and only 1 completed the 24-week exercise program. Qualitative interviews suggested that most patients believed exercise to be beneficial, but this interest did not translate into adherence to the study protocol.

We concluded that this program was not feasible, but that an inhome exercise program implemented after hospital discharge may have a higher likelihood of success.

This article can be found in the Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development Volume 43, Number 7, Page 939

About the Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development (JRRD)

JRRD has been a leading research journal in the field of rehabilitation medicine and technology for more than 40 years. JRRD, a peer-reviewed, scientifically indexed journal, publishes original research papers, review articles, as well as clinical and technical commentary from U.S. and international researchers on all rehabilitation research disciplines. JRRD's mission is to responsibly evaluate and disseminate scientific research findings impacting the rehabilitative healthcare community.

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