Association Between Pediatric Inpatient Rehabilitation Services and Children's Functional Outcomes: King Fahad Medical City Experience.

BACKGROUND

Disability may affect children's performance of functional activities. This may translate to difficulties in returning to home and/or school. It has been documented that intensive rehabilitation programs for children with disabilities lead to an improvement in their functional abilities. Wee-FIM is a valid and reliable outcome measure that is used commonly with children undergoing rehabilitation.

OBJECTIVES

To study changes in the functional status of children admitted to a specialized pediatric inpatient rehabilitation unit.

DESIGN

A retrospective cohort study.

SETTING

King Fahad Medical City-Rehabilitation Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

METHODS

Investigators reviewed records of children admitted to a pediatric rehabilitation unit between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2017. The outcome measures used were rehabilitation length of stay (LOS), Wee-FIM gain, and Wee-FIM efficiency.

RESULTS

The total number of records included in this study was 361 records. Sixty percent of the children were boys. The mean age was 8.7 ± 3.8 years (range, 3-17 years). Children with cerebral palsy accounted for 45.2% of the children. The mean LOS was 43 days. Children with brain tumors had the shortest LOS compared with children with other diagnoses. Mean (SD) Wee-FIM efficiency was 0.58 (±0.6). Highest Wee-FIM efficiency was observed in children with brain tumors. Average Wee-FIM gain was 20 (±15). The highest functional gain was 27 in children with brain tumors while the lowest was 16 in children with cerebral palsy.

CONCLUSIONS

Intensive inpatient rehabilitation program is associated with improvement in functional performance in children with a variety of impairments and disabilities.