Journal of the American Medical Directors Association | 2021
Palliative Rehabilitation Improves Health Care Utilization and Function in Frail Older Adults With Chronic Lung Diseases.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES\nThe Integrated Care for Advanced REspiratory Disorders (ICARE) service is a stay-in, post-acute care program for hospitalized patients with chronic, nonmalignant lung diseases. It provides palliative rehabilitation-a novel model integrating functional rehabilitation with early palliative care. We compare reduction of health care utilization among ICARE participants vs matched controls receiving usual care.\n\n\nDESIGN\nThis is a prospective, propensity score-matched study. Primary outcomes were reduction in hospital readmissions and length of stay and emergency department (ED) visits, comparing the period 6\xa0months before and after ICARE, or 6\xa0months before and after hospital discharge (for controls). Secondary outcomes included 6-minute walking distance (6MWD) and Modified Barthel Index (MBI).\n\n\nSETTING\nand Participants: Participants were matched 1:1 to controls by age, respiratory diagnosis, socioeconomic strata, index hospitalization length of stay, frailty, and recent admissions into intensive care unit or noninvasive ventilation units.\n\n\nMETHODS\nMultidisciplinary interventions focused on symptom relief, functional rehabilitation, targeted comorbidity management, and postdischarge care coordination.\n\n\nRESULTS\nOne hundred pairs of patients were matched. Participants were older adults (mean age 73.9\xa0±\xa08.2\xa0years) with prolonged index hospitalization (median 12.0\xa0days; interquartile range 7-18). Overall, 57% had high Hospital Frailty Risk Scores and 71% had overlapping respiratory diagnoses, the most common commonest being COPD (89%), followed by interstitial lung disease (54%) and bronchiectasis (28%). Small reductions in health care utilization were observed among controls. ICARE was associated with a further 9.1 ± 19.9\xa0days reduction in hospitalization length of stay (P < .001), 0.8 ± 1.9 lesser admission (P < .001), and 0.6 ± 2.2 fewer ED visits (P < .02). Participants with longest index hospitalization were observed to have greatest reduction in length of stay. Scores on the 6MWD and MBI improved by 41.0 ± 60.2\xa0m and 12.3 ± 11.6 points, respectively (both P < .001). Greater improvement was observed in patients with lower baseline 6MWD and MBI scores. Prescription of slow-release opioids rose from 9% to 49%. Treatment for anxiety and depression rose from 5% to 19%.\n\n\nCONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS\nIntegrating palliative care with postexacerbation functional rehabilitation was associated with short-term reduction in health care utilization, improved functional capacity, and increased treatment of dyspnea, anxiety, and depression.