Back to Journals » Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment » Volume 9
Inpatient rehabilitation outcome: a matter of diagnosis?
Authors Bejor M, Ramella FC, Toffola ED, Comelli M, Chiappedi M
Received 4 November 2012
Accepted for publication 30 November 2012
Published 18 February 2013 Volume 2013:9 Pages 253—257
DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S39922
Checked for plagiarism Yes
Review by Single anonymous peer review
Peer reviewer comments 3
Maurizio Bejor,1 Francesca Chiara Ramella,1 Elena Dalla Toffola,1 Mario Comelli,2 Matteo Chiappedi3
1University of Pavia, Department of Surgical, Resuscitative, Rehabilitative and Transplant Sciences, Pavia, Italy; 2University of Pavia, Department of Brain Sciences, Medical Statistics Section, Pavia, Italy; 3Don Carlo Gnocchi ONLUS Foundation, Milan, Italy
Background: Patients with comorbidities are becoming more and more common in Italian rehabilitative wards. These comorbidities are considered a major problem for inpatient rehabilitation, due to the fact that they cause longer lengths of stay, higher costs, and lower functional results.
Methods: To investigate the possible relationships between comorbidity, functional impairment, age, and type of discharge in patients hospitalized in postacute rehabilitation facilities, we planned an observational study. A total of 178 consecutive inpatients (average age: 78 years [range: 39–99]) from postacute rehabilitation facilities were recruited. Primary diagnosis, comorbidity rating (Cumulative Illness Rating Scale – Geriatric version, CIRS-G) and functional impairment score (Functional Independence Measure, FIM™) were evaluated at admission. The FIM™ rating was also assessed at hospital discharge.
Results: A total of 178 of the 199 enrolled patients completed the rehabilitation treatment (89.4%). The average length of stay was 46 ± 24 days. CIRS-G showed an average comorbidity score for each patient of 4.45 ± 1.69. The average FIM™ rating was 79 ± 24.88 at admission, and 91.9 ± 25.7 at discharge. Diagnosis at admission (grouped according to the International Classification of Diseases 9-CM) seemed to correlate with functional results, since lower rehabilitative efficiency was obtained for patients who had a history of stroke.
Conclusion: The number and type of comorbidities (CIRS-G) in rehabilitation inpatients do not seem to affect functional outcomes of treatment. The determining factor for a lower level of functional recovery seems to be the diagnosis at admission.
Keywords: diagnosis, rehabilitation, inpatients, outcome
© 2013 The Author(s). This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License. By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.