Dimensions and predictors of disability-A baseline study of patients entering somatic rehabilitation in secondary care

The purpose of this study was to investigate disability among patients who were accepted for admission to a Norwegian rehabilitation center and to identify predictors of disability.

In a cross-sectional study including 967 adult participants, the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule version 2.0 36-item version was used for assessing overall and domain-specific disability as outcome variables. Patients completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), EuroQoL EQ-5D-5L and questions about multi-morbidity, smoking and perceived physical fitness. Additionally, the main health condition, sociodemographic and environmental variables obtained from referrals and public registers were used as predictor variables. Descriptive statistics and linear regression analyses were performed.

The mean (standard error) overall disability score was 30.0 (0.5), domain scores ranged from 11.9 to 44.7. Neurological diseases, multi-morbidity, low education, impaired physical fitness, pain, and higher HADS depressive score increased the overall disability score. A low HADS depressive score predicted a lower disability score in all domains.

A moderate overall disability score was found among patients accepted for admission to a rehabilitation center but "life activities" and "participation in society" had the highest domain scores. This should be taken into account when rehabilitation strategies are developed.