PhysioSwiss Congress 2025

Preventing hospital-associated disability in older adults: a living systematic review
Author

Katia Giacomino & K. Martin Sattelmayer

Published

October 26, 2025

Modified

December 1, 2025

Conference Contribution - PhysioSwiss 2025 - Basel

Preventing Hospital-Associated Disability in Older Adults: A Living Systematic Review
Katia Giacomino & Martin Sattelmayer, Leukerbad

We presented the results of the SHADE living systematic review for the first time at a scientific conference. The evidence shown reflected the state of research as of October 2025.

Hospital-associated disability (HAD) affects over a third of older adults during hospitalisation, often leading to long-term functional decline. This living systematic review evaluates the effectiveness of physical exercise programmes—single and multi-component—for preventing HAD in acute care settings. With continuous updates and a network meta-analysis of currently 84 RCTs, the findings highlight that multi-component interventions combining balance, strengthening, and walking yield the most precise and effective results. This dynamic evidence synthesis supports clinicians in making timely, evidence-based decisions to improve outcomes for older patients.

Katia Giacomino & Martin Sattelmayer

The slides from our talk at PhysioSwiss 2025 in Basel are available via the following link: Slides

The abstract is available in PhysioScience: Abstract