Discharge disposition from model spinal cord injury care system rehabilitation programs.
OBJECTIVE
To identify and quantify factors associated with discharge to a nursing home for people with spinal cord injuries.


METHODS
Case control within a cohort of spinal cord injured persons.


METHODS
Model spinal cord injury care systems throughout the United States.


METHODS
A total 16,633 patients consecutively discharged alive between 1973 and 1996 who were admitted to the model system within 1 year of injury, who were both injured in and resided in the catchment area of the model system, and who were discharged to either a nursing home or a community residence.


METHODS
Discharge disposition.


RESULTS
Overall, 4.3% of patients were discharged to a nursing home. Factors that were significantly associated (p < .0001) with place of discharge were age, race, employment status at injury, bladder management method at discharge, education level, marital status, Frankel grade, functional independence in performing activities of daily living, independent ambulation, geographic region, neurologic level of injury, ventilator dependency, and third-party sponsor of rehabilitation. A multivariate predictive model was developed from these factors and was both 78% sensitive and specific in identifying patients who were discharged to a nursing home.


CONCLUSIONS
Knowing the probability of nursing home placement can assist in evaluating the success of a rehabilitation program by allowing adjustment for case-mix differences across facilities.
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA.
M J
MJ
DeVivo
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017146:Models, Organizational; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009735:Nursing Homes; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012047:Rehabilitation Centers / Q000458:organization & administration; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000145:classification / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States