Older Patients with Faster Gait Speeds Spend Less Time on Acute Care Units

Having a faster gait speed was associated with a shorter length-of-stay among older patients hospitalized in a geriatric acute care unit, according to the results of a study published in the February 27, 2012, Archives of Internal Medicine. The study, which assessed the gait speed of 206 elderly acute care patients, found that those who were unable to complete the test or had gait speeds of less than 0.40 m/s had significantly longer lengths of stay by 1.9 and 1.4 days, respectively, when compared with patients who had gait speeds of at least 0.60 m/s. Additionally, patients who were unable to complete the test and patients who possessed gait speeds of less than 0.40 m/s had significantly decreased odds of being discharged to their homes when compared with patients having gait speeds of at least 0.60 m/s.