Observational StudyPersonalized Exercises Program Prescription to Prevent Functional Decline Throughout Older Adults Hospitalization

Bed rest related to hospitalization contributes to the physical decline in capacities of the elderly, the loss of autonomy accelerated in post-hospitalization and the prevalence of the iatrogenic functional decline is about 20 to 50% for the elderly after an hospitalization.

Mobilization through physical activity (PA) programs is strongly suggested to counter this phenomenon, but it is not part of the routine clinical hospital practices.The consequences are the functional incapacities, the mobility loss, the re-hospitalization falls and the important use of the health care and health services. In this regard, the Ministry of Health and Social Services adopted in 2011 a framework making mandatory the set up of interventions to prevent the functional decline of hospitalized elderly in every hospital centres in Quebec. The Geriatric Units (GU) admit elderly around 80 years old that present complex health problems. The scientific literature presents effective mobilisation programs to ensure the maintenance of functional capacities and the mobility of frail elderly. However, even with this knowledge, the prescription of physical exercises by the GU does not seem to be integrated in a natural and systematic way by in the professional practices.

Our research team would like to implant the clinical tools : MATCH, PATH and PATH 2.0 that is a unique process of systematic prescriptions of physical activity during hospitalization (MATCH), at discharge (PATH) and during hospitalization and at discharge (PATH 2.0) in the GU, adapted to the profile of these patients.

The objective of this project is to evaluate the implementation of the clinical tools MATCH, PATH and PATH 2.0 in different GU and to evaluate the tools efficiency and estimate the benefits-cost ratio on the use of post-hospitalization health services. Finally, the conclusions would help us refine the procedures to use in the short and medium term which clinical tool is likely a standard practice our GU and to improve the health continuum of elderly.