title: Functional outcomes from inpatient rehabilitation after traumatic brain injury: how do Hispanics fare?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the relation between Hispanic ethnicity and rehabilitation outcome in traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Longitudinal dataset of the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems national database.
  
  
  METHODS
  Persons (N=3056; 2745 whites vs 311 Hispanics) with moderate to severe TBI hospitalized between 1989 and 2003.
  
  
  METHODS
  Not applicable.
  
  
  METHODS
  Functional outcomes at discharge and 1-year follow-up (Disability Rating Scale [DRS], FIM instrument). Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOS-E), and the Community Integration Questionnaire (CIQ) were measured at follow-up only.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At admission, Hispanics were less educated (P</=.001), earned less money (P</=.05), and were younger (P</=.001) than whites. Hispanics had lower GOS-E scores (P</=.01) at acute hospital admission compared with whites. Despite similar functional status at inpatient rehabilitation discharge, Hispanic ethnicity was associated with poorer functional outcomes at 1 year postinjury (DRS, FIM, CIQ), after controlling for age, length of posttraumatic amnesia, injury severity, DRS score at admission, FIM score at admission, and preinjury educational level (P<.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hispanics showed significantly reduced long-term functional outcome after rehabilitation relative to whites. Rehabilitation professionals should recognize the possible impact of individual differences and diverse sociodemographic, injury, and rehabilitation characteristics so that differential health outcomes among TBI survivors can be reduced or eliminated.
authors.affiliation: Kessler Medical Rehabilitation Research and Education Corp, West Orange, NJ, USA. jcarango@kmrrec.org
authors.forename: Juan Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Arango-Lasprilla
authors.forename: Mitchell
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rosenthal
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Deluca
authors.forename: David X
authors.initials: DX
authors.lastname: Cifu
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hanks
authors.forename: Eugene
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Komaroff
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D023261:Glasgow Outcome Scale; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000193:education / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D007297:Inpatients / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000193:education / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data