title: Spinal cord injury rehabilitation in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: time to rehabilitation admission, length of stay and functional independence.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  (1) To describe functional status, length of stay (LOS) and time to rehabilitation admission trends. (2) To identify independent predictors of motor function following rehabilitation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Spinal injury rehabilitation unit at King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
  
  
  METHODS
  From chart review of 312 traumatic and 106 nontraumatic adult patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) we extracted information on time from injury to rehabilitation admission, rehabilitation LOS, Functional Independence Measure (FIM) motor score (admission and discharge), American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) grade and demographics. Hierarchical regression was employed to investigate variables associated with discharge FIM motor score for traumatic and nontraumatic SCI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean±s.d., median days from injury to rehabilitation admission were 377±855, 150 days for traumatic SCI and 288±403, 176 days for nontraumatic SCI. For individuals with traumatic SCI, after accounting for admission FIM motor score, tetraplegia and time from injury to rehabilitation admission had a significant but small negative association with discharge FIM motor score. For individuals with nontraumatic SCI, increasing age and higher AIS grade had a significant negative association with discharge FIM motor score.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Shorter time from injury to rehabilitation admission may improve outcomes for those with traumatic SCI. As time spent in rehabilitation was shorter than in most other countries, a change in practice in this area may be warranted. Developing strategies to improve outcomes for older patients with nontraumatic SCI would also be beneficial.
authors.affiliation: Chairman of Comprehensive Rehabilitation Care Department, King Fahad Medical City Rehabilitation Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mahmoud
authors.affiliation: Occupational Therapy Unit Supervisor, King Fahad Medical City Rehabilitation Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Qannam
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Science, University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zbogar
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: B
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0183-6163
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mortenson
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult