Prespecification of predictor variables taken from the RAI-HC, with initial df allocation
| Variable | Scale | Codes/values | df |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sociodemographic factors | |||
| Age | Continuous | 50–110 | 4 |
| Sex | Dichotomous | 0=Male 1=Female | 1 |
| Highest level of education | Categorical | 0=No schooling; 8th grade or less; Grades 9–11 1=(Completed) high school 2=Technical or trade school 3=Some college/university; Diploma/Bachelor's degree; Graduate degree 4=Unknown/missing | 4 |
| Social support | |||
| Marital status | Categorical | 0=Married 1=Widowed 2=Divorced; separated 3=Never married 4=Other | 4 |
| Primary informal caregiver lives with client | Dichotomous | 0=No; no such helper 1=Yes | 1 |
| Health conditions | |||
| Hip fracture | Dichotomous | 0=Not present 1=Present | 1 |
| Diabetes | Dichotomous | 0=Not present 1=Present | 1 |
| Cerebrovascular accident (stroke) | Dichotomous | 0=Not present 1=Present | 1 |
| Congestive heart failure | Dichotomous | 0=Not present 1=Present | 1 |
| Coronary heart disease | Dichotomous | 0=Not present 1=Present | 1 |
| Hypertension | Dichotomous | 0=Not present 1=Present | 1 |
| Peripheral vascular disease | Dichotomous | 0=Not present 1=Present | 1 |
| Dementia (including Alzheimer's disease) | Dichotomous | 0=Not present 1=Present | 1 |
| Multiple sclerosis | Dichotomous | 0=Not present 1=Present | 1 |
| Parkinson's disease | Dichotomous | 0=Not present 1=Present | 1 |
| Cancer (any) | Dichotomous | 0=Not present 1=Present | 1 |
| COPD/emphysema/asthma | Dichotomous | 0=Not present 1=Present | 1 |
| Renal failure | Dichotomous | 0=Not present 1=Present | 1 |
| Irregularly irregular pulse (atrial fibrillation) | Dichotomous | 0=Not present 1=Present | 1 |
| Any psychiatric diagnosis | Dichotomous | 0=Not present 1=Present | 1 |
| End-stage disease (with prognosis of <6 months to live) | Dichotomous | 0=No 1=Yes | 1 |
| Functional status and cognition | |||
| Instrumental ADLs | |||
| Ordinary housework | Categorical | 0=No difficulty 1=Some difficulty 2=Great difficulty | 2 |
| Meal preparation | Categorical | 0=No difficulty 1=Some difficulty 2=Great difficulty | 2 |
| Using the telephone | Categorical | 0=No difficulty 1=Some difficulty 2=Great difficulty | 2 |
| ADLs | |||
| Personal hygiene | Categorical | 0=Independent 1=Setup help only; supervision; 2=Limited assistance 3=Extensive assistance 4=Maximum dependence; total dependence 5=Activity did not occur | 5 |
| Toilet use | Categorical | 0=Independent 1=Setup help only; supervision; 2=Limited assistance 3=Extensive assistance 4=Maximum dependence; total dependence 5=Activity did not occur | 5 |
| Locomotion (in home) | Categorical | 0=Independent 1=Setup help only; supervision; 2=Limited assistance 3=Extensive assistance 4=Maximum dependence; total dependence 5=Activity did not occur | 5 |
| Eating | Categorical | 0=Independent 1=Setup help only; supervision; 2=Limited assistance 3=Extensive assistance 4=Maximum dependence; total dependence 5=Activity did not occur | 5 |
| ADL decline | Dichotomous | 0=No 1=Yes | 1 |
| Cognitive function | |||
| Expression/making self-understood | Categorical | 0=Understood 1=Usually understood 2=Often understood; sometimes understood 3=Rarely/never understood | 3 |
| Decision-making capacity | Categorical | 0=Independent 1=Modified independence; minimally impaired 2=Moderately impaired 3=Severely impaired | 3 |
| Short-term memory | Dichotomous | 0=Not impaired 1=Impaired | 1 |
| Decline in decision-making capacity | Dichotomous | 0=No 1=Yes | 1 |
| Signs and symptoms of health decline | |||
| Vomiting | Dichotomous | 0=No 1=Yes | 1 |
| Peripheral oedema | Dichotomous | 0=No 1=Yes | 1 |
| Dyspnoea | Dichotomous | 0=No 1=Yes | 1 |
| Weight loss | Dichotomous | 0=No 1=Yes | 1 |
| Insufficient fluid | Dichotomous | 0=No 1=Yes | 1 |
| Decrease in food or fluid intake | Dichotomous | 0=No 1=Yes | 1 |
| Daily pain | Dichotomous | 0=No 1=Yes | 1 |
| Healthcare use | |||
| Number of hospital admissions without overnight stays in last 90 days (or since last assessment) | Categorical | 0, 1, 2, 3+ | 3 |
| Number of emergency room visits without overnight in last 90 days (or since last assessments) | Categorical | 0, 1, 2, 3+ | 3 |
| Special therapy: respirator/oxygen therapy | Categorical | 0=Not applicable 1=Scheduled, not received 2=Scheduled, partial/full adherence | 2 |
| Special therapy: chemotherapy | Categorical | 0=Not applicable 1=Scheduled, not received 2=Scheduled, partial/full adherence | 2 |
| Special therapy: dialysis | Categorical | 0=Not applicable 1=Scheduled, not received 2=Scheduled, partial/full adherence | 2 |
| Cohort characteristics | |||
| Year of RAI-HC assessment | Categorical | 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 | 5 |
| Reason for assessment | Categorical | 0=Initial (admission) assessment 1=Follow-up assessment 2=Routine (fixed interval) assessment 3=Significant change in status assessment 4=Review at the return from hospital | 4 |
ADLs, activities of daily living; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; IADLs, instrumental activities of daily living; RAI-HC, Resident Assessment Instrument for Home Care.