Ecologically relevant outcome measure for post-inpatient rehabilitation.

BACKGROUND: Transfer of skills learned within the clinic environment to patients' home or community is important in post-inpatient brain injury rehabilitation (PBIR). Outcome measures used in PBIR assess level of independence during functional tasks; however, available functional instruments do not quantitate the environment in which the behaviors occur. OBJECTIVE: To examine the reliability and validity of an instrument used to assess patients' functional abilities while quantifying the amount of structure and distractions in the environment. METHODS: 2501 patients who sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or cerebrovascular accident (CVA) and participated in a multidisciplinary PBIR program between 2006 and 2014 were identified retrospectively for this study. The PERPOS and MPAI-4 were used to assess functional abilities at admission and at discharge. Construct validity was assessed using a bivariate Spearman rho analysis A subsample of 56 consecutive admissions during 2014 were examined to determine inter-rater reliability. Intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and Kappa coefficients assessed inter-rater agreement of the total PERPOS and PERPOS subscales respectively. RESULTS: The PERPOS and MPAI-4 demonstrated a strong negative association among both TBI and CVA patients. Kappa scores for the three PERPOS scales each demonstrated good to excellent inter-rater agreement. The ICC for overall PERPOS scores fell in the good agreement range. CONCLUSION: The PERPOS can be used reliably in PBIR to quantify patients' functional abilities within the context of environmental demands.

Treatment effect versus pretreatment recovery in persons with traumatic brain injury: a study regarding the effectiveness of postacute rehabilitation.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate functional improvement following a traumatic brain injury (TBI) after admission to a postacute treatment facility, focusing on the time since injury and analysis of recovery by degree of impairment at admission. DESIGN: A retrospective study of patients who received treatment at a postacute rehabilitation facility. SETTING: Postacute rehabilitation for persons with acquired brain injury that involved transdisciplinary teams. PATIENTS: Patients (n = 1274) were admitted for treatment less than 5 years after TBI and were assessed on our outcome measures at least 3 times. The patients were then grouped by the time since injury and the severity of impairment at admission. METHODS: Patients received comprehensive multidisciplinary treatment 5 days per week, 6 hours per day. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Function was assessed by using the Pate Environmentally Relevant Program Outcome System (PERPOS) scale at admission, discharge, and approximately every 2 weeks during treatment. By using these assessment scores, the rate and degree of improvement were monitored. RESULTS: Postacute rehabilitation yielded significant gains in functioning, with 69% of all patients who demonstrated clinically meaningful gains. The time since injury had a significant impact on gains made in rehabilitation (Ftime × time-since-treatment group interaction = 17.75; P < .001), with the 0-3 months post injury group outperforming each other group (P < .001 for each comparison). This effect was statistically significant (P < .001) for each of the 3 severity-at-intake subgroups analyzed but was stronger for the severe (F314 = 9.05) and moderate-to-severe (F425 = 7.32) than for the mild-to-moderate (F533 = 2.95) severity-at-intake groups. CONCLUSIONS: Postacute rehabilitation is associated with functional gains for individuals with TBI beyond what can be explained by undirected recovery. These findings provide evidence for postacute rehabilitation as effective care after TBI.