Factors associated with successful rehabilitation in older adults: A systematic review and best evidence synthesis

Abstract

Purpose; Returning to community living is an indicator for successful rehabilitation in older adults admitted to geriatric rehabilitation. Predicting successful rehabilitation could contribute to the deployment of early discharge planning, and leads to a more custom-made rehabilitation trajectory. This review aims to present an overview of factors associated with successful rehabilitation following inpatient geriatric rehabilitation. Method; A systematic literature review was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL and Embase. Extracted factors were analysed via Bakker's five levels of evidence. Results; Nine studies with methodological quality of good to moderate were included. For 13 of the 18 extracted factors, limited (n=3), moderate (n=5) and conflicting (n=5) evidence found a significant association. Conclusions; Caregiver, comorbidities, motor-function, nutritional status, time from onset are significantly related to successful rehabilitation. These factors could support healthcare professionals to indicate successful rehabilitation at admission and contributes to deployment of early discharge planning and development of more custom-made rehabilitation trajectories.

Keywords: Aged; Aged 80 and over; Discharge planning; Health care policies; Predictive factors; Rehabilitation; Successful rehabilitation; Systematic review.