Geriatric Rehabilitation in Patients with Frailty: Interim Results of the POSTSCRIPTUM. An Open Prospective Study

INTRODUCTION. Introduction of additional stage of rehabilitation in elderly patients with varying degrees of frailty into practice helps to restore functional independence in patients, reduce the frequency of rehospitalizations and mortality in this population. Additional studies are needed in the Russian Federation for a wider integration of geriatric care models into clinical practice. AIM. To assess the impact of geriatric rehabilitation on the level of functional activity in patients with frailty. MATERIALS AND METHODS. A multicenter prospective study of the effectiveness of individual 21-day geriatric rehabilitation programs based on the results of a comprehensive geriatric assessment for patients aged 60 years and older with frailty syndrome. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. The analysis population included 483 patients, of which 84.2 % (n = 390) were women, the average age of patients was 78.6 ± 7.7 years. The patients were divided into three groups: frailty (n = 171; 36 %), pre-frailty (n = 291; 60 %) and "robust" patients (n = 21; 4 %). Improvement of geriatric status was registered in all groups. The most pronounced changes were found in patients with frailty: the sum of points of the SPPB, the Barthel index, the sum of points on the MOCA scale increased; the sum of points on the GDS-15 scale and the insomnia severity index decreased, self-assessment of pain on the VAS and dynamometry indicators improved. CONCLUSION. A multicomponent intervention based on the results of a comprehensive geriatric assessment is associated with an improvement in the functional, physical and cognitive status of elderly patients already 3 weeks after the start of the intervention.