Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 24, 2025
A Multi-Modal Approach to Assessing Recovery in Youth Athletes Following Concussion
Published on: September 25, 2014
Inpatient Rehabilitation After Pediatric and Adolescent Trauma: Outcomes and Discharge Needs
Hannah Leblanc1, Denise Danos2, Rebecca Moreci2
1Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Insights
Pediatric trauma survivors showed functional gains in inpatient rehabilitation, with most returning to school. Outcomes varied by injury type, highlighting the need for tailored follow-up care for children with traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric rehabilitation
- Trauma outcomes
- Functional progression
Background:
- Traumatic injuries are a leading cause of death and disability in US children.
- Effective inpatient rehabilitation (IPR) planning requires understanding pediatric trauma patient needs.
- This study focuses on functional outcomes in pediatric trauma survivors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe functional progression in pediatric and adolescent trauma patients undergoing IPR.
- To identify specific functional improvements and challenges based on injury type.
- To inform tailored follow-up care strategies for pediatric trauma survivors.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of patients aged 18 or younger admitted to IPR.
- Data collected from January 2018 to December 2020 at a regional pediatric rehabilitation center.
- Analysis of functional outcomes using the Pediatric Functional Independence Measure (P-FIM) scores.
Main Results:
- Ninety-five patients with multitrauma, traumatic brain injury (TBI), or spinal cord injury (SCI) were included.
- High rates of return to school were observed across all injury groups (86.7%–97.4%).
- SCI patients improved significantly in bladder function but showed least improvement in stair function; TBI patients improved significantly in memory and comprehension.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric trauma patients admitted to IPR demonstrate positive functional progress.
- Ongoing care needs vary based on the mechanism of injury.
- High rates of school re-entry indicate successful rehabilitation outcomes.
Introduction:
Traumatic injury is the leading cause of pediatric mortality and morbidity in the United States. Pediatric trauma survivors requiring inpatient rehabilitation (IPR) require coordinated, multispecialty follow-up. Knowledge of the nature and level of disability is necessary for planning this continued care that is specific to the needs of pediatric trauma patients. This study aims to describe the outcomes of pediatric and adolescent trauma patients using measures of functional progression.
Materials And Methods:
A retrospective review of trauma patients aged ≤18 y admitted to IPR between January 2018 and December 2020 at the only certified pediatric rehabilitation center in the region was performed.
Results:
Ninety five children and adolescents were admitted to IPR after traumatic injury with diagnoses of multitrauma (MT, N = 18), traumatic brain injury (TBI, N = 59), and spinal cord injury (SCI, N = 18). School aged children returned to school at high rates for all injury types (MT: 86.7%, TBI: 97.4%, SCI: 93.8%, P = ns). All groups had similar hospital and rehabilitation length of stay, and most patients required a durable medical equipment at discharge (79%). Using pediatric functional independence measure scoring progression from admission to discharge from IPR, SCI patients made significant improvement in bladder function and the least improvement in stair function. Patients sustaining a TBI made significant improvement in memory and comprehension tasks.
Conclusions:
Pediatric and adolescent trauma patients admitted to IPR had a positive progression during their therapy but required variable ongoing care depending on the mechanism of injury. Excellent rates of returning to school were seen across the three injury types.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:19Restorative Care
01:27Fractures: Bone Repair
Minor fractures with no bone displacement are treated by immobilizing the fractured bone using a cast or splint. However, in the case of fractures with displaced bones, the broken bones are repositioned before immobilization to ensure successful healing without deformation and loss of function. The realignment of fractured bone ends is performed through a process called reduction. If the...
01:30Specialized Care Centers and Settings-II
Rural health centers are specialized care facilities in remote locations with very few medical personnel. The primary care providers who run the centers are mostly Registered Nurse Practitioners. Here, emergency treatment is provided to critically ill or injured patients before they are transferred to the closest hospital. Fortunately, due to advancement in technology, many rural healthcare facilities and professionals have easy access to diagnostic and treatment...
01:31Discharge Summary Forms
Here's a detailed look at the key components and guidelines for preparing a discharge summary:
01:26Flail Chest-II
Assessment:
1. Clinical Evaluation:
History:
01:21Planning Nursing Care I