Validity of the de Morton Mobility Index (DEMM1) for measuring the mobility of patients with hip fracture during rehabilitation

摘要

Hip fractures result in serious health consequences for older people with significant mortality rates [1-3], and significant loss of mobility, independence and quality of life for survivors [4-7]. Only about 40% of people return to their preinjury level of walking after hip fracture [2,8], and only half of those able to walk outdoors before injury can do so afterwards [9]. Subsequently, hip fracture has significant implications for quality of life, healthcare resource use and costs.Following hip fracture, many older patients are admitted for inpatient rehabilitation after surgical management and medical stabilisation. Inpatient rehabilitation primarily involves intensive therapy to improve mobility and thus function. However, a recent review [10] investigated the efficacy of rehabilitation following hip fracture and identified abroad range of measures that had been employed to assess physical outcomes for this population. For example, some studies employed the Barthel Index [11], a multidimensional instrument that measures the domains of mobility and continence. Others used the 6 metre walk test [12], a short walking test that is timed by a clinician who observes the patient performing the task.