Life-space mobility predicts hospitalizations for persons with chronic lung disease.

What is it about?

Life-space is a measure of community mobility reflecting how far and how frequently one moves about with or without use of assistance from another person or a device to help with mobility. Older persons with reduced life-space mobility experience social isolation and lower quality of life. This study provides evidence that persons with chronic lung disease and low life-space mobility are at greater risk in the following year of having to go to the emergency room or be hospitalized for lung disease. Persons with chronic lung disease and with lower life-space also walked slower, had more shortness of breath, lower quality of life and had more depressive symptoms

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Why is it important?

Life-space can be assessed during in-person interviews, using the telephone, or written questionnaires. This patient-reported outcome does not require any special instrument or equipment, and provides a reliable assessment of community mobility, an outcome of utmost importance to maintaining social participation and enhancing quality of life. This is the first study to show that among persons with moderate to severe lung, disease, life-space predicts subsequent use of emergency room care or need for hospitalization for the lung disease. Life-space can help identify persons that may benefit from enhanced care for their lung disease.

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