Two Easy-to-Use Scores to Identify Acute Geriatric Patients With High Rehabilitation Success

The developed standardized scores DHS and BIS showed acceptable performance and, although they provide independent predictions, together they offer a nuanced assessment of rehabilitation success. DHS is easier to apply, as it does not require the Mini Mental State Examination, whereas BIS gives a more precise assessment of the expected rehabilitation success. The predictive power of BIS is limited because only about 20% of the Barthel Index improvement can be explained. Both scores are not validated and are therefore not allowed to be used in the clinical practice. After further refinement and validation, both scores have great potential to be integrated into the clinical practice to support effective identification of geriatric patients who benefit from a stay in an AGW, thereby ensuring timely therapy and preventing complications.