Effectiveness of Early Versus Delayed Physical Rehabilitation on In‐Hospital Mortality in Interstitial Pneumonia: A Retrospective Cohort Study

INTRODUCTION: Although early rehabilitation for acute inpatients is widely recommended, the effectiveness of early physical rehabilitation for interstitial pneumonia in the acute setting remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of early rehabilitation on mortality in patients with interstitial pneumonia in the acute setting. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study used a hospital-based database created by the Japan Medical Data Center. SETTING: Over 100 acute-care hospitals across Japan. PARTICIPANTS: Inpatients hospitalized due to interstitial pneumonia from 2014 to 2018. INTERVENTIONS: Early rehabilitation provided by physical therapists and/or occupational therapists within 2 day of admission. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Thirty- and 90-day in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: Among the included inpatients, 847 (50%) underwent early rehabilitation. Mortality was significantly lower in the early rehabilitation group compared with the delayed rehabilitation group (30-day mortality: 6.8% vs 12.1%, 90-day mortality: 13.0% vs 19.8%). The differences were significant after propensity score adjustment using inverse probability weighting (30-day mortality: 7.6% vs 11.0%, 90-day mortality: 14.3% vs 18.0%). CONCLUSION: Early rehabilitation was associated with decreased mortality in hospitalized patients with interstitial pneumonia.