Does monitoring change in function in community-dwelling older adults alter outcome? A randomized controlled trial

Objective: To determine whether information about an older person's physical functioning provided to the patient and his or her physician delays functional decline and improves health outcomes.Design: A randomized controlled trial was undertaken; the assessors were not blinded to the group allocation.Setting: The study took place in a clinic within a hospital setting.Participants: Two hundred and sixty-five community-dwelling people over 65 years were recruited from family practice units.Interventions: The intervention group received assessments of physical function with feedback to the participant and the participant's family physician or functional assessments alone over 18 months. Self-report measures for health status using the Short Form-36 (SF-36) and preclinical disability were used together with performance measures which included the lower extremity performance test and muscle strength.Results: There were small, statistically significant group/time interactions which included disability scores, F...