Gait Speed Measurement in Geriatric Care
Author Information
Author(s): Garbin Alexander, Johnson Thomas, Allison Caitlin, Lum Hillary
Primary Institution: University of Colorado School of Medicine
Hypothesis
Can implementing gait speed measurement improve patient outcomes in a geriatric primary care clinic?
Conclusion
The implementation of gait speed measurement showed preliminary feasibility and benefits, particularly for patients identified as 'at risk'.
Supporting Evidence
- Gait speed was measured during 4700 patient visits over 10 months.
- Patients identified as 'at risk' increased their gait speed by 0.07 m/s.
- Reach of the implementation was 73.3% and adoption was 53.9%.
Takeaway
This study looked at how measuring how fast older patients walk can help their doctors take better care of them.
Methodology
Gait speed was measured during patient visits as part of a quality improvement project, with assessments of implementation strategies and outcomes.
Limitations
The study was limited to a single geriatric primary care clinic and may not generalize to other settings.
Participant Demographics
Patients included 1931 unique individuals visiting a geriatric primary care clinic.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Confidence Interval
IQR -0.01, 0.20
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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