Resumen:
Importance Functional decline is prevalent among acutely hospitalized older patients. Exercise and early rehabilitation protocols applied during acute hospitalization can prevent functional and cognitive decline in older patients.
Objective To assess the effects of an innovative multicomponent exercise intervention on the functional status of this patient population.
Design, Setting, and Participants A single-center, single-blind randomized clinical trial was conducted from February 1, 2015, to August 30, 2017, in an acute care unit in a tertiary public hospital in Navarra, Spain. A total of 370 very elderly patients undergoing acute-care hospitalization were randomly assigned to an exercise or control (usual-care) intervention. Intention-to-treat analysis was conducted.
Interventions The control group received usual-care hospital care, which included physical rehabilitation when needed. The in-hospital intervention included individualized moderate-intensity resistance, balance, and walking exercises (2 daily sessions).
Main Outcomes and Measures The primary end point was change in functional capacity from baseline to hospital discharge, assessed with the Barthel Index of indepen...