Predictors of destination discharge in patients from a functional recovery unit in Madrid

Background: the functional recovery of the patient in specialized reduce the incidence of definitive institutionalization. Objective: o identify the predictors of destination at discharge of patients in the functional recovery unit of the Hospital Guadarrama of Madrid, Spain, from October 2021 to October 2022. Methods: retrospective observational study, performed in the unit and time period previously defined. The sample consisted of 741 clinically stable patients under rehabilitative treatment. We evaluated: age, gender, cognitive impairment (by Pfeiffer questionnaire), comorbidities (by Charlson index), functional assessment (Barthel index), walking ability, malnutrition, confusion syndrome, respiratory infection, urinary tract infections, heart failure, functional gain, and discharge destination . Results: Mean age of patients 78.31±11.34 years, with a degree of severe dependence on admission and high comorbidity. Functional gain was 29.53 points and 77.1 % of patients returned home. The probability that the destination at discharge outside the domicile increased 1,015 (1,004, 1,025) times for each point of increase in the Barthel index at discharge, while it decreased 0,896 (0,831, 0,967) times for each point of increase in the Pfeiffer, 0,62 (0,384, 0,979) times per point of increase in malnutrition and 0.581 (0.35, 0.978) times per point of increase in respiratory infection. Conclusions: the better the functional situation at discharge, the greater the probability of returning home. The presence of cognitive impairment, malnutrition and respiratory infection is associated with increased risk of institutionalization.