Prediction of follow-up living setting in patients with lower limb joint replacement.

Objective: The living setting to which older adults are discharged from medical rehabilitation has important social and economic implications. This study was undertaken to develop statistical models to predict living setting after medical rehabilitation in persons with lower limb joint replacement.

Design: Information submitted from 1994 through 1998 to the Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation was examined. Hip replacement was experienced by 42% of the patients, 51% experienced a knee replacement, and 7% received some combination or other lower limb procedure.

Results: Persons with hip replacements were slightly older than persons with knee replacements and had a longer length of stay. Logistic regression was used to develop a predictive model based on 60% of the cases. The model included five statistically significant predictor variables.

Conclusion: Cognitive and basic motor function associated with activities of daily living, age, length of stay, and marital status were important variables in predicting if older adults would be living at home 80-180 days after rehabilitation for lower limb joint replacement.