Disability and rehabilitation
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Purpose: To follow changes in anticholinergic drug prescriptions throughout hip fractured patients' rehabilitation; to assess whether a change in anticholinergic burden affects rehabilitation outcome. Methods: Retrospective study of 869 hip fractured patients admitted between January 2011 to October 2015, performed in a post-acute geriatric rehabilitation center. The Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden Scale quantified the anticholinergic burden. ⋯ Implications for rehabilitationClinicians should make an effort to reduce AC drug use in hip fractured patients on admission to post-acute rehabilitation. AC burden should be carefully monitored throughout the rehabilitation period and reduced whenever possible. When functional ability does not improve as expected, AC burden should be considered as an intervening factor.