Relationship of patient characteristics and inpatient rehabilitation services to 5-year outcomes following spinal cord injury: A follow up of the SCIRehab project

Model System:

SCI

Reference Type:

Journal article

Accession No.:

J88029

Journal:

Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine - JSCM (formerly Journal of the American Paraplegia Society)

Year, Volume, Issue, Page(s):

2021 , 44, 6, 870-885

Publication Website:

Abstract:

Study compared associations of patient characteristics and treatment quantity delivered during inpatient spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation with outcomes at 1 year and 5 years after injury. It was hypothesized that the relationships between the quantity of treatment and outcomes found at 1-year post-injury would be maintained at 5-years post-injury. Data were analyzed for 792 patients from five inpatient SCI rehabilitation centers who participated in the SCIRehab study and completed both a 1-year and 5-year post-injury interview. Outcome data were derived from follow-up interviews at 5 years post-injury and, similar to the 1-year outcomes, included measures of physical independence, societal participation, life satisfaction, and depressive symptoms, as well as place of residence, school/work attendance, rehospitalization, and presence of pressure ulcers. Regression modeling was used to predict outcomes. Consistent with 1-year findings, patient characteristics continue to be strong predictors of outcomes 5-years post-injury, although several variables add to the prediction of some of the outcomes. More time in physical therapy and therapeutic recreation were positive predictors of 1-year outcomes, which held less true at 5 years. Greater time spent with psychology and social work/case management predicted greater depressive symptomatology 5-years post-injury. Greater clinician experience was a predictor at both 1 and 5 years, although the related positive outcomes varied across years. Various outcomes 5-years post-injury were primarily explained by pre-and post-injury characteristics, with little additional variance offered by the quantity of treatment received during inpatient rehabilitation.

Author(s):