Life-Space Mobility Trajectories After Elective Surgery in Older Adults.
Many older adults still have restricted mobility six months after elective surgery.
Life-Space Mobility Trajectories After Elective Surgery in Older Adults.
IMPORTANCE: The number of older adults living with frailty who undergo surgery is rapidly increasing worldwide.
To examine postoperative recovery using LSM among older adults living with frailty and to identify factors associated with restricted mobility and readmission.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cohort study within the larger Functional Improvement Trajectories After Surgery study used a convergent mixed-methods exploratory design.
of older adults still had restricted mobility six months after their surgery
This study included 204 participants (mean [SD] age, 72.8 [5.6] years; 108 males [53%]).
The mean (SD) LSM was 65.1 (26.7) presurgery, 56.6 (26.7) at 2 months postsurgery, and 64.9 (25.9) at 6 months postsurgery.
Restricted mobility was associated with being a woman (odds ratio [OR], 4.72; 95% CI, 2.27-9.84), greater frailty (OR, 10.42; 95% CI, 3.56-30.49), and concurrent need for support from formal or informal caregivers (OR, 5.43; 95% CI, 2.72-10.86).
Elevated-risk surgery was associated with hospital readmission at 6 months (OR, 3.18; 95% CI, 1.48-7.25).
In this nested cohort study, mean LSM recovered by 6 months postsurgery, but 41% of older adults still had restricted mobility. Being a woman, having greater frailty, and needing support from caregivers were associated with poor recovery.
Integrating life-space assessments into individualized perioperative care planning may enhance evaluation of functional recovery, inform shared decision-making, and guide support strategies.