Patient resilience in the fracture orthopaedic rehabilitation geriatric environment

ObjectiveTo explore the relationship between resilience and rehabilitation outcomes in older orthopaedic patients. MethodsGeriatric rehabilitation patients admitted to a general metropolitan hospital following a fracture were interviewed face-to-face. Their resilience was assessed using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), and rehabilitation outcomes were assessed according to functional independence measure (FIM) gain, length of stay, discharge destination and mortality rate. ResultsA total of 29 patient interviews were used in data analysis. Resilience scores varied from 49-92, with an average of 73, representing overall high resilience compared to general population samples. Resilience scores as measured by the CD-RISC did not correlate with functional improvements during rehabilitation postfracture. ConclusionFurther studies, including patients with a broader range of resilience scores, particularly at the lower end of the spectrum, are required to explore the relationship between resilience and rehabilitation outcomes in greater depth.