Rehabilitation of children with traumatic brain injury: descriptive analysis of a nationwide sample using the WeeFIM
Sydney A Rice1, James A Blackman, Susan Braun
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA.
Insights
Children with traumatic brain injury (TBI) showed improved function during rehabilitation. Higher admission scores and shorter time to care correlated with better outcomes and shorter lengths of stay (LOS).
Area of Science:
- Pediatric rehabilitation
- Neuroscience
- Clinical outcomes research
Background:
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant cause of disability in children.
- Understanding functional recovery in pediatric TBI is crucial for optimizing rehabilitation strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the functional capabilities of children with TBI at admission and discharge from inpatient rehabilitation.
- To identify factors associated with functional outcomes and length of stay (LOS) in pediatric TBI rehabilitation.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive analysis was conducted on data from 3815 children with TBI.
- Data were collected from 56 US inpatient pediatric rehabilitation facilities between 1999 and 2001.
- Admission and discharge WeeFIM (Functional Independence Measure for Children) scores were the primary outcome measures.
Main Results:
- Functional status at admission and discharge, measured by WeeFIM scores, positively correlated with patient age and time from injury to rehabilitation.
- Higher admission WeeFIM scores were associated with shorter LOS and reduced time from injury to rehabilitation.
- Children demonstrated significant functional improvements during their rehabilitation stay.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric TBI patients exhibit substantial functional gains in rehabilitation settings.
- Admission functional severity and timeliness of rehabilitation initiation are key predictors of discharge function and LOS.
- Early and intensive rehabilitation may lead to better functional outcomes for children with TBI.
Objective:
To describe functional capability at admission and discharge of children with traumatic brain injury (TBI) in rehabilitation settings.
Design:
Descriptive analysis.
Setting:
Inpatient pediatric rehabilitation hospitals in the United States.
Participants:
Children (N=3815) in 56 pediatric inpatient rehabilitation facilities who were discharged during 1999 to 2001.
Interventions:
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures:
Admission and discharge WeeFIM scores.
Results:
Admission and discharge WeeFIM scores correlated positively with age at admission, time from injury to rehabilitation admission, and length of stay (LOS). Higher admission WeeFIM scores correlated with shorter LOS, shorter time from injury to admission to rehabilitation, and higher discharge WeeFIM scores.
Conclusions:
Children with TBI demonstrated significant improvement in functional measures during rehabilitation. Discharge function and LOS correlated with admission severity, with children who had higher functional status and shorter time between injury and rehabilitation care having higher discharge function and shorter LOS.
