Functional outcomes of school-age children with acquired brain injuries at discharge from inpatient rehabilitation

Objective: To examine functional outcomes of school-age children with acquired brain injuries (ABI) at discharge from one inpatient rehabilitation programme in the Northeast, USA. Methods: A cross-sectional design was used to examine admission and discharge data on 176 children with ABI, aged 5-18 years. Functional outcomes included discharge Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) self-care, mobility, social function scores and length of stay. General patterns of change in PEDI scores were analysed using paired t-tests and effect sizes. Correlation analyses were used to determine associations among continuous variables. Differences in outcomes related to independent variables were examined using independent t-tests and analysis of variance and covariance. Results: PEDI scores improved significantly at discharge. Less improvement was found in social function scores than mobility and self-care scores. Higher scores were associated with shorter LOS. Differences in most outcomes were found related to family's primary language, race/ethnicity and primary insurance. Younger children had significantly lower social function scores than older children. Conclusions: Findings provided insights about potential effects of selected variables on functional outcomes and suggest where future inquiry and efforts might be needed (e.g. social function and socio-cultural variables). Information not recorded in the programme's database could offer additional insights to assist with team decision-making.