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Disability assessment in elderly orthopedic patients.

OBJECTIVE
To assess the disability level in elderly patients with orthopedic conditions.


MATERIAL AND METHOD
All possible patients aged more than 60 years, who attended the Out-patient Clinic of Orthopedic Department, Siriraj Hospital, between October and December 2005, were recruited. They were assessed for the disability level by using a Brief Disability Questionnaire (BDQ), Thai version. It is a simple and practical tool for assessing disability levels. It is an eight-item scale with the total score ranging from 0 to 16. A higher score indicates a greater disability.


RESULTS
Two hundred and thirteen patients participated in the study. The mean age was 69.4 years and 64% had degenerative joint diseases. The affected parts were the lower extremity and back (56.8% and 26.8% respectively). The three most common limited activities were vigorous activities, long distance walking, and stair climbing or walking uphill (55.9%, 51.6%, and 42.7% respectively). The mean BDQ score of the subjects was 7.9 +/- 3.8. Patients with lower extremity problems including back problems had the highest BDQ score (8.2 +/- 3.7). According to the BDQ, the number of patients with a moderate-to-severe degree of disability was 79%.


CONCLUSION
The majority of elderly patients with orthopedic problems had moderate-to-severe disability as assessed by the BDQ. Physicians and other health care personnel should consider the management of the principal diseases, and the assessment of the disability level to improve the patients' quality of life, which is the ultimate goal of the treatment in clinical practice.