Aubert, Carole ElodieCarole ElodieAubert0000-0001-8325-8784Folly, AntoineAntoineFollyMancinetti, MarcoMarcoMancinettiHayoz, DanielDanielHayozDonzé, JacquesJacquesDonzé2024-10-252024-10-252017-06-08https://boris-portal.unibe.ch/handle/20.500.12422/157948OBJECTIVES Readmission and death are frequent after a hospitalisation and difficult to predict. While many predictors have been identified, few studies have focused on functional status. We assessed whether performance-based functional impairment at discharge is associated with readmission and death after an acute medical hospitalisation. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS We prospectively included patients aged ≥50 years admitted to the Department of General Internal Medicine of a large community hospital. Functional status was assessed shortly before discharge using the Timed Up and Go test performed twice in a standard way by trained physiotherapists and was defined as a test duration ≥15 s. Sensitivity analyses using a cut-off at >10 and >20 s were performed. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES The primary and secondary outcome measures were unplanned readmission and death, respectively, within 6 months after discharge. RESULTS Within 6 months after discharge, 107/338 (31.7%) patients had an unplanned readmission and 31/338 (9.2%) died. Functional impairment was associated with higher risk of death (OR 2.44, 95% CI 1.15 to 5.18), but not with unplanned readmission (OR 1.34, 95% CI 0.84 to 2.15). No significant association was found between functional impairment and the total number of unplanned readmissions (adjusted OR 1.59, 95% CI 0.95 to 2.67). CONCLUSIONS Functional impairment at discharge of an acute medical hospitalisation was associated with higher risk of death, but not of unplanned readmission within 6 months after discharge. Simple performance-based assessment may represent a better prognostic measure for mortality than for readmission.enTimed Up and Go test death functional status readmission600 - Technology::610 - Medicine & healtharticle10.7892/boris.1106592860037610.1136/bmjopen-2017-016207