Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine whether a decrease in the score for any of the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) domains at discharge compared to before admission (decreased FIM) is associated with increased risk of facility admission. Patients were divided into those discharged to a care facility (facility group) and those discharged home (home group). Patients in the home group were selected so as to match those in the facility group. A total of 36 patients were included in each group. Mean ages of patients in the home and facility groups were 88.9 ± 7.9 and 89.1 ± 7.6 years, respectively, and mean pre-admission total FIM scores were 77.1 ± 29.8 and 78.5 ± 30.3, respectively. When each FIM subdomain was examined for correlation between decreased score and post-discharge destination, bowel management (odds ratio, 4.5), bladder management (3.9), social interaction (3.5), problem solving (3.5), and walking (2.5) were identified as being significantly associated with increased risk of facility admission. A limitation was that this study did not consider the care-giving capacity of families. Further studies are needed to identify additional potential factors affecting post-discharge destination, including care-giving capacity of families and other social factors.
