title: Relationship of speech-language pathology inpatient rehabilitation interventions and patient characteristics to outcomes following spinal cord injury: the SCIRehab project.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Describe associations of patient characteristics and speech-language pathology (SLP) interventions provided during impatient rehabilitation for spinal cord injury (SCI) to outcomes at discharge and 1-year post-injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Speech-language pathologists at six inpatient rehabilitation centers documented details of treatment provided. Least squares regression modeling was used to predict outcomes at discharge and 1-year injury anniversary. Cognitive, participation, and mood outcomes for a subsample of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and cognitive-communication limitations (CCLs) were examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  SLP treatment factors explain a small amount of variation in cognitive Functional Independence Measure (FIM), participation, and mood. Variation explained by treatment factors for cognitive outcomes at the time of discharge increased when the patient group was more homogeneous (patients with TBI and CCLs). More time in SLP cognitive-communication interventions had a negative relationship, while longer length of stay was positive. The added explanatory power was not seen for similar outcomes at 1-year post-injury.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with SCI who have the greatest need for interventions to address cognitive limitations due to TBI receive the most SLP cognitive-communication treatment and show the greatest amount of improvement during rehabilitation. Their cognitive functioning remained impaired at discharge; this likely accounts for the consistent finding that more hours of SLP cognitive-communication treatment is associated with lower cognitive FIM scores at discharge. Future research on individuals with dual SCI and TBI should include more comprehensive assessment of individual differences in cognitive performance in order to better examine the complex relationships between SLP treatments and outcomes. Note: This is the fifth of nine articles in this SCIRehab series.
authors: Craig Hospital, Englewood, CO, USA.
authors: Wendy
authors: W
authors: Gordan
authors: Donald
authors: D
authors: Gerber
authors: Dana Spivack
authors: DS
authors: David
authors: Viki
authors: V
authors: Adornato
authors: Rebecca
authors: R
authors: Brougham
authors: Julie
authors: J
authors: Gassaway
authors: Scott E D
authors: SE
authors: Kreider
authors: Gale
authors: G
authors: Whiteneck
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D003147:Communication Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010351:Patient Discharge; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012047:Rehabilitation Centers; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013066:Speech-Language Pathology / Q000379:methods*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult