Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Only randomised controlled trials (RCTs) were eligible for inclusion.
Specific interventions included in the review
Studies that evaluated interventions within the remit of a nurse's role were eligible for inclusion. No other specific inclusion criteria were defined for the interventions. The included studies all assessed the use of exercise programmes provided by physical therapists or care home staff, two or three times a week, for a time period ranging from 4 weeks up to 7 months. Control interventions included recreational therapy, range of motion exercises, reminiscence sessions, friendly visits and usual care.
Participants included in the review
The inclusion criteria specified that participants had to be over the age of 65 years, cognitively intact, and living in a facility that provided residential and/or nursing or rehabilitative care (but was not an acute hospital unit). The review defined cognitively intact as being able to follow two simple commands; this definition included those with mild dementia and depression but excluded people with severe dementia. The mean age of the participants in the included studies ranged from 75 to 81 years, and most were impaired in at least one activity of daily living.
Outcomes assessed in the review
Studies that assessed the maintainance of independence using measures of functional status as the main outcome measures were eligible for inclusion. The included studies used various scales to measure functional outcomes: Functional Independence Measure, timed Get-up-and-Go (TUG), Berg Balance scale, Physical Performance Test (PPT), chair-to-stand time, and activities of daily living (ADL) using measures that included the Barthel and Katz Indexes.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
The authors did not state how the papers were selected for the review, or how many reviewers performed the selection.