The relation between therapy intensity and outcomes of rehabilitation in skilled nursing facilities

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relation between therapy intensity, including physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT), and speech and language therapy (SLT), provided in a skilled nursing facility (SNF) setting and patients' outcomes as measured by length of stay (LOS) and stage of functional independence as measured by the FIM instrument. DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of secondary data from an administrative dataset compiled and owned by SeniorMetrix Inc. SETTING: Seventy SNFs under contract with SeniorMetrix health plan clients. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with stroke, orthopedic conditions, and cardiovascular and pulmonary conditions (N=4988) covered by Medicare+Choice plans, and admitted to an SNF in 2002. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: LOS and improvement in stage of independence in the mobility, activities of daily living (ADLs), and executive control domains of function as determined by the FIM instrument. RESULTS: Higher therapy intensity was associated with shorter LOS ( P <.05). Higher PT and OT intensities were associated with greater odds of improving by at least 1 stage in mobility and ADL functional independence across each condition ( P <.05). The OT intensity was associated with an improved executive control stage for patients with stroke, and PT and OT intensities were associated with improved executive control stage for patients with cardiovascular and pulmonary conditions ( P <.05). The SLT intensity was associated with improved motor and executive control functional stages for patients with stroke ( P <.05). Therapy intensities accounted for small proportions of model variances in all outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Higher therapy intensity was associated with better outcomes as they relate to LOS and functional improvement for patients who have stroke, orthopedic conditions, and cardiovascular and pulmonary conditions and are receiving rehabilitation in the SNF setting.     

Validity of functional independence staging in patients receiving rehabilitation in skilled nursing facilities

OBJECTIVES: To determine the psychometric performance and clinical applicability of the Functional Independence Staging (FIS) system for activities of daily living (ADLs), sphincter management, mobility, and executive function in patients receiving rehabilitation in the skilled nursing facility (SNF) setting. DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of secondary data using data from a privately owned administrative dataset. Setting Seventy SNFs under contract with SeniorMetrix Inc health plan clients. PARTICIPANTS: Patients (N=7526) covered by Medicare+Choice plans and admitted to an SNF in 2002. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Analysis of construct validity, sensitivity to change, and predictive validity. RESULTS: The FIS score in each domain except mobility at admission was higher for patients with no concomitant disease than for patients classified as moribund ( P <.001). The odds of being discharged to the community were consistently greater for patients with higher discharge FIS scores in sphincter management (odds ratio [OR] range, 1.32-1.76), mobility (OR range, 1.93-4.66), and executive function (OR range, 1.50-4.15). Discharge FIS score was greater than admission FIS score for all domains ( P <.001). The odds of being discharged to the community were fairly consistently predicted by admission FIS score in ADLs (OR range, 1.26-3.73) and executive function (OR range, 1.60-5.05). CONCLUSIONS: The FIS system has reasonable psychometric properties that suggest it may be applied to the assessment and monitoring of functional status in patients admitted for rehabilitation in SNF settings. The system may be useful for determining the type of therapy that might be required or to predict the likely discharge needs of the patient.     

Cognitively impaired stroke patients do benefit from admission to an acute rehabilitation unit

Rabadi MH, Rabadi FM, Edelstein L, Peterson M. Cognitively impaired stroke patients do benefit from admission to an acute rehabilitation unit.

Objective

To determine whether cognitively impaired stroke patients benefit (defined as having an improved level of functional independence and capable of being discharged home) from admission to an acute rehabilitation unit.

Design

Retrospective analysis of data from a historical cohort of patients with acute stroke within the last 4 weeks or less.

Setting

Acute stroke rehabilitation unit.

Participants

The study sample was divided into 4 distinct groups based on admission Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores: cognitively intact (MMSE score range, ≥25 points), mild cognitive impairment (MMSE score range, 21-24), moderate cognitive impairment (MMSE score range, 10-20), and severe cognitive impairment (MMSE score range, ≤9 points).

Interventions

Not applicable.

Main Outcome Measures

Primary outcome measures were: change in total FIM instrument score, cognitive FIM subscore, length of stay (LOS), FIM efficiency, and discharge disposition (home vs not-to-home).

Results

Based on the MMSE cut scores, there were 233 cognitively intact patients and 435 cognitively impaired (mild, n=139; moderate, n=165; severe, n=131) patients. The cognitively intact and the 3 cognitively impaired groups were similar in age, sex, and ethnicity. The data show that the 3 cognitively impaired groups of patients had delayed onset to acute rehabilitation admission and greater stroke severity and disability. The change in FIM total score and FIM efficiency was similar between the cognitively intact and the 3 cognitively impaired groups (P=.058). There were, however, statistically significant changes in the FIM cognitive subscore favoring the cognitively impaired groups (P<.001). Similarly, patients in the cognitively intact group had a shorter LOS (P<.001) and more home discharges (P<.001).

Conclusions

Our results suggest that despite severe neurologic impairment(s) and disability, cognitively impaired stroke patients make significant functional gains while undergoing rehabilitation and many can be discharged home. Based on these results, stroke patients with cognitive impairments benefit from rehabilitation and should be given the same access to acute rehabilitation services as stroke patients who are cognitively intact.     

Rehabilitation in skilled nursing facilities: effect of nursing staff level and therapy intensity on outcomes

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship of patients' outcomes with nursing staff levels and therapy intensity within skilled nursing facilities. DESIGN: Secondary analysis using administrative dataset of 6,897 patients from 68 skilled nursing facilities providing rehabilitation and reimbursed through Medicare+Choice. Independent measures were facility level nursing hours-to-resident ratio and total therapy hours per day. Outcomes included discharge to community and length of stay efficiency. RESULTS: Patients were 1.53 times more likely to be discharged to the community when nursing staff level was > or = 3.5 hrs per resident per day as compared with <3.5, and patients were 1.22 and 2.02 times more likely to be discharged to the community when therapy averaged 1-1.5 hrs/day and >1.5 hrs/day, respectively, as compared with <1 hr/day. The adjusted mean length-of-stay efficiency was 0.21 points greater in facilities where the nursing staff level was > or = 3.5 hrs per resident per day than in facilities where the level was <3.5 and 0.43 and 0.70 points greater in facilities where patients received 1-1.5 hrs/day and >1.5 hrs/day of therapy, respectively, than in facilities where the average therapy intensity was <1 hr/day. CONCLUSIONS: Higher nursing staff levels and therapy intensity are related to improved length-of-stay efficiency and increase the likelihood of patients' being discharged to the community.     

Longitudinal study of inpatients admitted to a general activation service: variables that predict discharge to a patient's discharge goal location

OBJECTIVE: To determine which sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients admitted to a general activation service (GAS) are predictive of discharge to patients' discharge goal locations (DGLs). DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Rehabilitation and complex continuing care hospital in southern Ontario, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Patients admitted from January 2000 to December 2002 (N=154). INTERVENTION: The GAS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Patients indicated on their service applications where they wanted to be discharged. This is termed the DGL. RESULTS: Fifty-three percent of the sample were discharged to their DGLs. Ninety-eight percent of these patients were discharged by 9 months. Eighty-seven percent who were discharged to their DGLs were discharged to their own home. Predictors of being discharged to the DGL were better activities of daily living scores, good vision, and having sufficient help at home. Expert clinician opinion of the likelihood of each patient being discharged to his/her DGL, based on initial assessment, was also predictive of each patient's eventual discharge to his/her DGL. CONCLUSIONS: The GAS has a 53% success rate in discharging patients to their DGLs. Variables have been identified that should be useful in predicting whether patients will be discharged to their DGLs. Our findings are meaningful and informative in determining future admission criteria for the service.     

Pain in cognitively impaired nursing home patients

Pain is an understudied problem in frail elderly patients, especially those with cognitive impairment, delirium, or dementia. The focus of this study was to describe the pain experienced by patients in skilled nursing homes, which have a high prevalence of cognitive impairment. A random sample of 325 subjects was selected from ten community skilled nursing homes. Subjects underwent a cross-sectional interview and chart review for the prevalence of pain complaints, etiology, and pain management strategies. Pain was assessed using the McGill Pain Questionnaire and four unidimensional scales previously utilized in younger adults. Thirty-three percent (33%) of subjects were excluded because they were either comatose (21%), non-English speaking (3.7%), temporarily away (sick in hospital) (4.3%), or refused to participate (3.7%). Of 217 subjects in the final analysis, the mean age was 84.9 years, 85% were women, and most were dependent in all activities of daily living. Subjects demonstrated substantial cognitive impairment (mean Folstein Mini-Mental State exam score was 12.1 ± 7.9), typically having deficits in memory, orientation, and visual spatial skills. Sixty-two percent reported pain complaints, mostly related to musculoskeletal and neuropathic causes. Pain was not consistently documented in records, and pain management strategies appeared to be limited in scope and only partially successful in controlling pain. None of the four unidimensional pain-intensity scales studied in this investigation had a higher completion rate than the Present Pain Intensity Scale of the McGill Pain Questionnaire (65% completion rate). However, 83% of subjects who had pain could complete at least one of the scales. We conclude that cognitive impairment among elderly nursing home residents presents a substantial barrier to pain assessment and management. Nonetheless, most patients with mild to moderate cognitive impairment can be assessed using at least one of the available bedside assessment scales.     

A model to aid in the prediction of discharge location for stroke rehabilitation patients

OBJECTIVE: To determine which demographic and medical factors recorded on admission to a rehabilitation unit best predict discharge accommodation outcomes. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. SETTING: Inpatient rehabilitation unit in an academic hospital in southwestern Ontario, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred four stroke patients (54 women, 50 men; mean age, 72.0y) admitted to the rehabilitation unit over a 4-year period. INTERVENTIONS: All patients underwent evaluations by the physical therapy, occupational therapy, social work, speech pathology, and psychology departments. Patients were divided into 2 groups: (1) no change in premorbid accommodation and (2) change in premorbid accommodation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Demographic, clinical, and housing information (premorbid, discharge) and functional data (FIM trade mark instrument, Chedoke-McMaster Stroke Assessment [CMSA] Impairment Inventory, Berg Balance Scale [BBS]) were recorded for each patient. RESULTS: Of 104 patients, 24 were discharged with a change in premorbid accommodation. Change in discharge location was significantly associated with age, gender, and the presence of premorbid social support (P<.01), but not with type of premorbid living arrangement. Statistically significant differences were noted between total FIM scores (P<.001), BBS scores (P<.001), and the postural component of the CMSA Impairment Inventory (P<.03). A logistic regression model, predicting 67% of the variance, was created to predict discharge accommodations. CONCLUSIONS: Patients admitted to the rehabilitation unit can be scored to obtain their predicted chance of being discharged with a change from their premorbid accommodations. The equation is relatively easy to calculate and is based on data that are commonly collected in rehabilitation.     

Functional independence domains in patients receiving rehabilitation in skilled nursing facilities: evaluation of psychometric properties

OBJECTIVE: To provide evidence for the validity of using FIM items to derive 4 domains of functional independence (mobility, activities of daily living [ADLs], sphincter management, executive function) in patients receiving rehabilitation in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of secondary data using data from a privately owned administrative dataset. Setting Seventy SNFs under contract with SeniorMetrix Inc health plan clients. PARTICIPANTS: Patients (N=7536) with a variety of conditions, covered by Medicare+Choice plans, and admitted to an SNF in 2002. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Item score distributions, corrected item-total correlations, factor correlations, internal consistency, and stage ceiling and floor effects for each hypothesized functional independence domain. RESULTS: With the exception of 2 items, the items within a domain had similar standard deviations and distributions of items were not highly skewed. Four factors accounted for 73.4% of the variance in functional independence. Corrected item-total correlations ranged from .58 to .80 for the ADL domain, from .23 to .71 for the mobility domain, and from .78 to .88 for the executive function domain. The correlation between bowel and bladder management items was .84. Cronbach alpha coefficients ranged from .76 for the mobility domain to .96 for the executive function domain. At admission, there were substantial floor effects for the sphincter management (34.4%) and mobility domains (43.1%) and ceiling effects for the executive function domain (26.7%). CONCLUSIONS: With a few exceptions, the items proposed for each functional independence domain met the criteria for supporting the validity of the domains.     

Poor sleep and impaired self-care: Towards a comprehensive model linking sleep, cognition, and heart failure outcomes

Background

Persons with heart failure (HF) have significantly lower sleep quantity and quality than persons without HF. The purpose of this article is to propose a conceptual model describing how poor sleep may contribute to inadequate self-care and untoward outcomes in persons with HF.

Aims

Our overarching hypothesis is that sleep affects self-care and outcomes through its effects on cognition. Building on the work of others, we outline a conceptual model that illustrates that even transient sleep disruption prevents sleep-related restorative processes and contributes to cognitive dysfunction—especially in the 25-50% of HF patients with existing cognitive impairment. Poor sleep may be sufficient to impair cognition to a level that interferes with higher order functions involved in effective HF self-care practices. Through these mechanisms, inadequate sleep may contribute to poor outcomes such as low health-related quality of life and greater risk of unplanned hospitalization.

Conclusion

The proposed model (1) bridges physical, neuropsychological and behavioral phenomena, (2) suggests a mechanism by which poor sleep affects daytime behavior, and (3) is empirically testable. Exploring factors that interfere with sleep may improve self-care and outcomes in persons with HF.     

骨折患者入出院健康教育需求的研究

目的 :了解骨折患者在入院和出院时对健康教育知识、方法的需求。方法 :用自制问卷在入院后 2～ 3天和出院前 1天 ,采用访谈法对 82名住院骨折患者进行调查。结果 :患者对健康教育知识的需求具有倾向性和规律性 ,但也存在一些误区 ,有待于护理人员的正确引导。对健康教育方法的需求具有多样性 ,在出院后健康教育方式的选择上 ,护士家访受到青睐。结论 :护士开展健康教育时 ,要根据患者对健康教育需求的特点有针对性地进行     

Skilled nursing facility rehabilitation and discharge to home after stroke

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relation between rehabilitation therapy (RT) intensity and time to discharge home for stroke patients in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. We used regression analyses, stratified by expected outcome, and propensity score adjustment. Setting All SNFs in Ohio, Michigan, and Ontario, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: A cohort of residents, aged 65 and over, admitted from hospitals to SNFs with a diagnosis of stroke (N=23,824). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Time to discharge home from an SNF. RESULTS: RT was given to more than 95% of residents for whom discharge was expected within 90 days and to more than 60% of residents for whom discharge was uncertain or not expected. RT increased the likelihood of discharge to the community for all groups except those expected to be discharged within 30 days. The dose-response relation was strongest for residents with either an uncertain discharge prognosis or no discharge expected. CONCLUSIONS: Postacute residents with an uncertain prognosis are an important target population for intensive RT.     

高血压病患者的社区康复护理效果观察

目的:探讨在社区健康服务中心对高血压病患者进行康复护理的方法及效果。方法:对148例高血压病患者实施6个月的社区康复护理措施,比较护理前后患者依从性、高血压病相关行为及知识的改善情况。结果:通过社区康复护理6个月后,高血压病患者的依从性明显提高(P<0.01),无论是收缩压还是舒张压的维持程度均较好;除肥胖和缺乏体育锻炼是高血压病危险因素外,高血压病相关知识均得到了明显提高(P<0.01)。结论:实施有效的社区康复护理可以提高高血压病患者的依从性和高血压病相关知识,更好的将血压维持在正常水平。     

Usefulness of the nursing home quality measures and quality indicators for assessing skilled nursing facility rehabilitation outcomes

OBJECTIVE: To examine the usefulness of the nursing home quality indicators and nursing home quality measures for differentiating among providers from a rehabilitation outcomes perspective. DESIGN: Retrospective. SETTING: Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) across the United States. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 211 SNFs. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: All quality indicators, all quality measures except for CWLS01 (residents who lose too much weight), and a set of rehabilitation outcomes including residualized FIM motor gain, the percentage of patients discharged to community, and the percentage of patients reporting "quite a lot" or "completely" prepared to manage their care at discharge from SNF-based rehabilitation. RESULTS: No quality measures correlated with any rehabilitation outcomes. Residualized FIM motor gain did not correlate with any quality indicators or quality measures. Only 1 quality indicator-prevalence of daily use of restraints (QI 22)-correlated with the rehabilitation indicator community discharge percentage. The third rehabilitation indicator, prepared to manage care at discharge, correlated (negatively) only with QI 18 incidence of decrease in range of motion. Among the rehabilitation outcomes, residualized FIM motor gain correlated significantly with both community discharge percentage and prepared to manage care at discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Patients and referrers choosing SNF-based medical rehabilitation need tools that differentiate among prospective providers from a rehabilitation outcomes perspective. Data in this study indicate that nursing home quality indicators and quality measures are inadequate for this purpose.     

Functional and self-efficacy changes of patients admitted to a Geriatric Rehabilitation Unit

BACKGROUND: Geriatric Rehabilitation Units (GRUs) have been established to restore functional abilities of older hospitalized patients. Although considerable health care resources have been allocated to these units, few outcome-based research studies have been reported on Canadian GRUs. AIM: The aim of this paper is to report a study examining the effect of admission to a GRU on changes in patients' functional ability and self-efficacy in performing everyday activities at home. METHODS: Following Institutional Review Board approval, data were collected from 40 patients age 65-101 years (mean 83.8, sd 6.57) admitted to a 21-bed interdisciplinary GRUs over a 7-month period. All were living independently prior to hospital admission. Data were collected on admission to the unit and on discharge using two instruments: the Functional Independence Measure and Falls Efficacy Scale. RESULTS: Statistically significant improvements were found in functional ability and self-efficacy following admission to the GRUs. CONCLUSIONS: Although functional level and feelings of self-efficacy on admission to the unit were at levels which may have prevented participants from returning home, the majority were discharged to the community. Results suggest that admission to a GRU helps prepare patients to return to community living.     

Cognitive complaints are associated with depression, fatigue, female sex, and pain catastrophizing in patients with chronic pain

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relation between demographic, pain-related, psychosocial, affective, and treatment factors and complaints of cognitive dysfunction among patients with chronic pain. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: A university hospital outpatient multidisciplinary chronic pain program. PARTICIPANTS: Chronic pain patients (N=222; 135 women, 87 men) completed a battery of psychometric questionnaires as part of an initial evaluation on referral to the program. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cognitive impairment was assessed with items from the Brief Symptom Inventory; measures of depressive symptoms, pain intensity, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and pain catastrophizing were obtained from the Beck Depression Inventory (negative affect, negative self, somatic/physical function), McGill Pain Questionnaire, Modified Posttraumatic Chronic Pain Test, and Coping Strategies Questionnaire, respectively; and measures of subjective sleep disturbance, fatigue, opiate use, compensation/litigation status, pain location, and relevant demographic data were obtained from an open-ended questionnaire. RESULTS: Correlational analysis indicated that female sex, pain intensity, PTSD symptoms, depressive symptoms, catastrophizing, pain location (neck), and fatigue were all positively related to cognitive complaints. Simultaneous regression analysis showed that all factors combined accounted for 52% of the variance in self-report of cognitive difficulties and that 6 variables had a significant unique contribution to the report of cognitive complaints in the following order of importance: depression-negative affect (beta=.28, P <.05), fatigue (beta=.17, P <.05), depression-somatic/physical function (beta=.16, P <.05), depression-negative self (beta=.14, P =.05), pain catastrophizing (beta=.12, P =.08), and female sex (beta=.12, P <.05). CONCLUSIONS: Complaints of cognitive impairment among chronic pain patients appear to be associated with multiple factors, with particular attention to depressive symptoms, fatigue, and catastrophizing. Our results also suggest that women with chronic pain are particularly vulnerable to cognitive dysfunction.     

康复治疗对脑卒中患者上肢功能的恢复

目的 探讨康复治疗对脑卒中患上肢功能恢复的影响。方法 采用以神经发育疗法和运动疗法为主,反复进行上肢的主动活动并配合传统的按摩、功能性电刺激地和日常生活活动能力的训练等综合康复治疗技术,以及上肢运动功能检测和功能活动能力的证实,对急性脑卒中患刊物临床对照性研究,对恢复期患进行临床观察。结果 康复治疗后,病程在１个月内的急性脑卒中患的上肢运动功能和功能活动能力的改善明显优于对照组（Ｐ〈０．０     

Cognition in Patients With Burn Injury in the Inpatient Rehabilitation Population

Objective

To analyze potential cognitive impairment in patients with burn injury in the inpatient rehabilitation population.

Design

Rehabilitation patients with burn injury were compared with the following impairment groups: spinal cord injury, amputation, polytrauma and multiple fractures, and hip replacement. Differences between the groups were calculated for each cognitive subscale item and total cognitive FIM. Patients with burn injury were compared with the other groups using a bivariate linear regression model. A multivariable linear regression model was used to determine whether differences in cognition existed after adjusting for covariates (eg, sociodemographic factors, facility factors, medical complications) based on previous studies.

Setting

Inpatient rehabilitation facilities.

Participants

Data from Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation from 2002 to 2011 for adults with burn injury (N=5347) were compared with other rehabilitation populations (N=668,816).

Interventions

Not applicable.

Main Outcome Measures

Comparison of total cognitive FIM scores and subscales (memory, verbal comprehension, verbal expression, social interaction, problem solving) for patients with burn injury versus other rehabilitation populations.

Results

Adults with burn injuries had an average total cognitive FIM score ± SD of 26.8±7.0 compared with an average FIM score ± SD of 28.7±6.0 for the other groups combined (P<.001). The subscale with the greatest difference between those with burn injury and the other groups was memory (5.1±1.7 compared with 5.6±1.5, P<.001). These differences persisted after adjustment for covariates.

Conclusions

Adults with burn injury have worse cognitive FIM scores than other rehabilitation populations. Future research is needed to determine the impact of this comorbidity on patient outcomes and potential interventions for these deficits.