Association between nursing assessment indicators and adverse outcomes in hospitalized patients with atrial fibrillation : A retrospective observational study
- 1Department of Circulation 18, Dalian University Affiliated Zhongshan Hospital, Dalian, Liaoning Province, China
- 2Circulatory Comprehensive Ward, Dalian University Affiliated Zhongshan Hospital, Dalian, Liaoning Province, China.
Abstract
This retrospective observational study examines the association between routinely collected admission nursing assessment indicators and in-hospital adverse outcomes among hospitalized patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). A total of 312 hospitalized patients with AF admitted to a tertiary teaching hospital between January 2021 and December 2024 were included. The Morse Fall Scale, Barthel Index, Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS-2002), and Braden Scale were assessed within 24 hours of admission. Clinical characteristics, vital signs, and laboratory data were extracted from electronic medical records. The composite adverse outcome comprised in-hospital death, unplanned intensive care unit admission, worsening heart failure requiring treatment escalation, major bleeding requiring medical intervention, or thromboembolic events. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to examine associations with the composite outcome. Among 312 patients, 68 (21.8%) experienced at least one adverse outcome. In the adjusted analysis, a higher Morse Fall Scale score was associated with higher odds of adverse outcomes (OR 1.031, 95% CI 1.012–1.051; P = .002), whereas a higher Barthel Index score was associated with lower odds (OR 0.978, 95% CI 0.961–0.995; P = .012). A higher NRS-2002 score was associated with higher odds (OR 1.376, 95% CI 1.083–1.748; P = .009), and a higher serum albumin level was associated with lower odds (OR 0.953, 95% CI 0.920–0.988; P = .010). AF type and Braden Scale score were not independently associated with the composite outcome after adjustment. Admission nursing assessments of fall risk, functional status, and nutritional risk, together with serum albumin, were independently associated with in-hospital adverse outcomes. These results support their use as complementary markers of vulnerability and for closer clinical surveillance, but they do not establish causality or justify changing guideline-directed AF treatment. Prospective multicenter studies are required before these measures can be incorporated into validated clinical decision tools.
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BibTeX
@article{han2026association,
title = {{Association between nursing assessment indicators and adverse outcomes in hospitalized patients with atrial fibrillation : A retrospective observational study}},
author = {Jie Han and Siyu Liu and Nan Li and Ruiqin Zhang},
journal = {Medicine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1097/md.0000000000051239},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13727202},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Association between nursing assessment indicators and adverse outcomes in hospitalized patients with atrial fibrillation : A retrospective observational study
AU - Jie Han
AU - Siyu Liu
AU - Nan Li
AU - Ruiqin Zhang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - Medicine
DO - 10.1097/md.0000000000051239
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13727202
AB - This retrospective observational study examines the association between routinely collected admission nursing assessment indicators and in-hospital adverse outcomes among hospitalized patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). A total of 312 hospitalized patients with AF admitted to a tertiary teaching hospital between January 2021 and December 2024 were included. The Morse Fall Scale, Barthel Index, Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS-2002), and Braden Scale were assessed within 24 hours of admission. Clinical characteristics, vital signs, and laboratory data were extracted from electronic medical records. The composite adverse outcome comprised in-hospital death, unplanned intensive care unit admission, worsening heart failure requiring treatment escalation, major bleeding requiring medical intervention, or thromboembolic events. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to examine associations with the composite outcome. Among 312 patients, 68 (21.8%) experienced at least one adverse outcome. In the adjusted analysis, a higher Morse Fall Scale score was associated with higher odds of adverse outcomes (OR 1.031, 95% CI 1.012–1.051; P = .002), whereas a higher Barthel Index score was associated with lower odds (OR 0.978, 95% CI 0.961–0.995; P = .012). A higher NRS-2002 score was associated with higher odds (OR 1.376, 95% CI 1.083–1.748; P = .009), and a higher serum albumin level was associated with lower odds (OR 0.953, 95% CI 0.920–0.988; P = .010). AF type and Braden Scale score were not independently associated with the composite outcome after adjustment. Admission nursing assessments of fall risk, functional status, and nutritional risk, together with serum albumin, were independently associated with in-hospital adverse outcomes. These results support their use as complementary markers of vulnerability and for closer clinical surveillance, but they do not establish causality or justify changing guideline-directed AF treatment. Prospective multicenter studies are required before these measures can be incorporated into validated clinical decision tools.
SN - 0304-5412
SN - 1536-5964
SN - 0025-7974
ER -