Occupational and Physical Therapy
Moderate evidence supports supervised occupational and physical therapy across the continuum of care, including home, to improve functional outcomes and fall prevention.

Rationale
Two high-strength studies (Ziden et al 118, Crotty et al 119) and five moderate-strength studies (Binder et al 120, Hagsten et al 121, Hagsten et al 122, Tsauo et al 123, Bischoff-Ferrari et al 124) support that rehabilitative therapies delivered across the continuum of care have been shown to be effective in improving functional outcomes in the elderly patient with hip fracture, post-surgery. Binder et al 120 demonstrated a supervised home-based Physical Therapy (PT) program to be superior to conventional care in improving physical functioning and mobility. Hagsten et al’s studies121;122) were moderate strength studies that similarly demonstrated utility of Occupational Therapy (OT) (initiated during hospital stay and continued at home) in improving functional outcomes as measured by Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) and Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL).
 
Four studies including one high strength (Ziden et al 118) and three  moderate strength (Tsauo et al 123; Bischoff-Ferrari et al 124; Ziden et al 125) studies establish the beneficial effects of home-based PT on functional outcomes such as physical and social functioning, ADLs, mobility, HRQOL and patient satisfaction. In addition, Bischoff-Ferrari’s et al 119 study showed reduction in falls although Crotty’s study showed no change in fall rates; however, they demonstrated that accelerated discharge to home-based PT improved level of independence and physical functioning at same levels as hospital-based rehabilitation.

Risks and Harms of Implementing These Recommendations
The delivery and implementation of this therapy vary, but the benefits of rehabilitative services are demonstrated in a variety of settings and across the continuum of care. There is no harm associated with implementing this recommendation.

Future Research
Further studies to establish more precise dosages and durations of rehabilitative therapies, as well as to determine the most appropriate settings would be beneficial. Further nutritional research needs to elucidate which type of protein supplementation is most beneficial and should clarify risks associated with malnutrition and benefits of supplementation, especially in diabetic patients.