A systematic Analysis of Evaluation Methods for Inpatient Children and Adolescents Rehabilitation Programs

Increasing chronic diseases in children and adolescents such as obesity, asthma bronchiale, or mental disorders, result in a growing importance of rehabilitation programs and subsequent program evaluations. We conducted a systematic literature search in 5 databases and provided an overview of methods for evaluating inpatient child and adolescent rehabilitation programs. This included an identification of generic and indication-specific outcomes and standardized measuring instruments. Eighteen studies covering 8 indication groups were considered for the qualitative analysis according to the pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Overall, the 18 studies included eight generic outcomes: (1) quality of life, (2) psychological well-being, (3) perceived changes, (4) functionality, (5) rehabilitation satisfaction, (6) self-management/-efficacy, (7) days of absence and (8) self-esteem. Eighteen standardized measuring instruments and 6 self-developed questionnaires were used to assess the 8 generic outcomes. Besides, indication-specific outcomes for 5 indications namely traumatic brain injury, obesity, diabetes, eating disorders and neurodermatitis, were reported. Overall, the present systematic review summarizes essential content (8 generic outcomes) and methods for evaluations of children and adolescent rehabilitation programs; however, before choosing a generic measuring tool during an evaluation, the psychometric validity of the instruments should be evaluated. In addition to the generic perspective, the evaluation of disease-specific outcomes is recommended.