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Thieme Open, Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice, 01(02), p. 043-049, 2011

DOI: 10.4103/0976-3147.80097

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Rehabilitation for cerebral palsy: Analysis of the Australian rehabilitation outcome dataset

Journal article published in 2011 by Bhasker Amatya ORCID, Others, Fary Khan
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective: To examine the outcome of inpatient rehabilitation for cerebral palsy (CP), using the Australian Rehabilitation Outcomes Center (AROC) database. Materials and Methods: De-identified data from the AROC database was analyzed for all rehabilitation admissions during 2003 – 2008, using four classes for the functional level. The outcomes included: Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scores, FIM efficiency, hospital length of stay (LOS), and discharge destination. Results: Of 141 case episodes 56.7% were female, mean age 48.5 years, 87.2% were discharged to the community and 64.5% (n = 91) were in the lowest functional classes (217, 218, and 219). The majority of CP patients were treated in the public hospital system (66.7% versus 33.3%), and had a slightly longer LOS compared with those treated in private facilities (22.6 versus 17.9 days, mean difference - 4.7 days, 95% CI - 9.2 to - 0.2, P = 0.041). The FIM for all classes (216 – 218) showed significant functional improvement during the admission (P = 0.001). As expected those in the most functionally impaired classes showed most change (FIM change: 16.6 in class 217, 15.3 in class 218). FIM efficiency was the highest in classes 217 compared to the other classes. The year-to-year trend demonstrated a mixed pattern for hospital LOS and was not significant (P = 0.492). Conclusion: The AROC dataset is a valuable research tool for describing rehabilitation outcomes. However, more specific information needs to be collected alongside the core AROC data, to allow a more meaningful evaluation of outcomes for CP rehabilitation..