Functional outcomes of school-age children with acquired brain injuries at discharge from inpatient rehabilitation.
OBJECTIVE
To examine functional outcomes of school-age children with acquired brain injuries (ABI) at discharge from one inpatient rehabilitation programme in the Northeast, USA.


METHODS
A cross-sectional design was used to examine admission and discharge data on 176 children with ABI, aged 5-18 years. Functional outcomes included discharge Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) self-care, mobility, social function scores and length of stay. General patterns of change in PEDI scores were analysed using paired t-tests and effect sizes. Correlation analyses were used to determine associations among continuous variables. Differences in outcomes related to independent variables were examined using independent t-tests and analysis of variance and covariance.


RESULTS
PEDI scores improved significantly at discharge. Less improvement was found in social function scores than mobility and self-care scores. Higher scores were associated with shorter LOS. Differences in most outcomes were found related to family's primary language, race/ethnicity and primary insurance. Younger children had significantly lower social function scores than older children.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings provided insights about potential effects of selected variables on functional outcomes and suggest where future inquiry and efforts might be needed (e.g. social function and socio-cultural variables). Information not recorded in the programme's database could offer additional insights to assist with team decision-making.
Bedell
Gary M
GM
Tufts University, Boston School of Occupational Therapy, Medford, MA 02155, USA. gary.bedell@tufts.edu
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008404:Massachusetts; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010351:Patient Discharge; D020127:Recovery of Function