Responsiveness of Section GG Scores in Tracking Post-Stroke Functional Recovery From Inpatient Rehabilitation Admission to 90-Day Follow-Up.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the responsiveness and scale-to-sample targeting of Section GG of the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility-Patient Assessment Instrument in measuring the trajectory of functional recovery in patients with stroke from inpatient rehabilitation admission to 90 days after discharge.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING

150-bed inpatient rehabilitation facility.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients with stroke (N=1087) discharged between December 2019 to April 2021.

INTERVENTION

Not applicable.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Admission and discharge self-care and mobility scores from Section GG were analyzed for the Inpatient Only group (n= 817). Admission, discharge and 90-day post-discharge Section GG scores from telephone interviews with patients or caregivers were analyzed for the Follow-Up group (n=270). Standardized response means (SRM) determined responsiveness of the tool for each group and time interval. Score means, standard deviations, and floor/ceiling effects illustrated scale-to-sample targeting of the tool.

RESULTS

Self-care and mobility scores improved significantly from admission to discharge (P<.001) for both groups and from discharge to 90 days (P<.001) for the Follow-Up group. Large SRM existed from admission to discharge for self-care and mobility scores in both groups. ​A small-to-moderate SRM was seen from discharge to 90 days for self-care (0.46) and a moderate SRM was observed for mobility (0.68). Overall floor effects were minor at admission for self-care (9.8%) and mobility (7.2.%). Overall ceiling effects were minor at discharge for self-care (11.2%) and mobility (4.6%)​ and significant at follow-up for both self-care (45.2%) and mobility (32.2%).

CONCLUSIONS

Section GG is responsive to change and appropriately measures patients' functional ability during inpatient rehabilitation. More study is required for telephone follow-up after discharge from inpatient rehabilitation.