Home-based Rehabilitation After Inpatient Rehabilitation: Utilization Rate and Characteristics of Referred Patients

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Rehabilitation
• Health Services Research
• Physical Therapy

Background:

• Home-based rehabilitation programs offer a continuum of care following inpatient stays.
• Understanding the utilization patterns and patient profiles is crucial for optimizing post-discharge services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the utilization rate of home-based rehabilitation programs after inpatient rehabilitation.
• To identify the demographic and clinical characteristics of older patients who utilize home-based rehabilitation.

Main Methods:

• Observational study involving 1913 older patients discharged home from a tertiary hospital's inpatient rehabilitation facility.
• Data collected on patient demographics, admission reasons, functional status (Functional Independence Measure), and discharge destination.
• Multivariable analysis used to identify factors associated with discharge to home-based rehabilitation.

Main Results:

• 15.5% (296/1913) of patients were discharged to home-based rehabilitation.
• Patients discharged to home-based rehabilitation were more likely to be women and admitted for orthopedic surgery or gait/fall related issues.
• These patients exhibited poorer admission functional performance but demonstrated greater self-care and mobility gains during inpatient rehabilitation.

Conclusions:

• Home-based rehabilitation is utilized by a significant minority of older patients post-inpatient stay.
• Patient recovery potential, indicated by greater inpatient mobility gains, appears to be a key factor in selecting home-based rehabilitation.
• Despite poorer initial functional status, these patients show promising recovery trajectories, supporting their suitability for home-based programs.