The Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation report: patients discharged from subacute rehabilitation programs in 1999.

This is the third annual report describing patients discharged from subacute rehabilitation programs in the United States that subscribe to the Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation (UDSmr). The analysis included 39,562 complete records of first admission cases discharged alive from 180 facilities in 1999. Sixty-five percent of the patients were women, and most patients (91%) were white. Sixty-two percent of the patients were 75 yr of age or older. Before the impairment onset, 55% lived with at least one other person. The average total FIM (motor and cognitive) score change for all patients was 21.1 points, and when stratified by rehabilitation impairment group, average scores ranged from 18.3 for patients with pulmonary conditions to 25.3 for patients with a joint replacement. The percentage of patients discharged to a community-based setting ranged from 67% for patients with stroke to 94% for patients with a joint replacement. These data show that patients receiving care in subacute rehabilitation programs show measurable functional improvement and that a high percentage of patients are discharged to community-based settings.

Outpatients with low back pain: an analysis of the rate per day of pain improvement that may be expected and factors affecting improvement.

OBJECTIVE: To determine, only for those who improved, the rate per day of improvement expected for outpatients with low back pain and to identify factors influencing pain improvement: pain duration before assessment, pain and physical functioning levels before assessment, age, sex, and affective factors. It was presupposed that affective factors would have an appreciable effect. DESIGN: The LIFEware System database was used. Analysis was performed on 1292 records for the Painfree measure and 1562 records for the LIFEware System Visual Analog Scale. Measures for pain, physical functioning, and affective well-being were analyzed for 0-30 days vs. >30 days of pain duration before assessment using classification and regression trees analysis. RESULTS: In both Painfree and LIFEware System Visual Analog Scale, 73% improved and 27% did not improve. Of those who improved, outpatients with 0-30 days of pain duration before assessment had higher per day rates of improvement than the >30 days group. Factors affecting improvement were, in descending order, more initial pain, younger age, and positive affective well-being; physical functioning did not affect rate of improvement. Factors affecting improvement for outpatients with >30 days since onset were, in descending order, more initial pain and better initial physical functioning; age and affective well-being were not factors. For all, neither sex nor the "satisfaction with life in general" question affected low back pain rate of improvement. CONCLUSION: Findings may be useful for clinical application because the actual rate of improvement may be compared with the expected rate. There was only a weak relationship shown between affective factors and pain improvement.

The FIM instrument in the United States and Italy: a comparative study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare FIM instrument ratings between Italy and the United States. DESIGN: This study utilized 169,835 United States and 4,536 Italian FIM instrument records for stroke with the left side of the body affected, stroke with the right side of the body affected, and orthopedic conditions. RESULTS: Case-mix, patient age, and admission and discharge FIM instrument scores were similar. The delays between onset of disability and admission to rehabilitation and lengths of stay in rehabilitation were 2-4 times longer in Italy. In Italy, some 88-95% of the subjects were discharged to the community vs. 74-88% in the United States. Hierarchies of FIM instrument ratings across the motor and cognitive items were similar, but there were interesting differences. The hierarchical patterns showed that dressing, bathing, perineal hygiene, and tub or shower transfer were relatively more difficult in Italy compared with the Unites States, whereas walking was easier in Italy compared to the United States. CONCLUSION: The Italian health care payment system offers less incentive for early discharges from acute care and rehabilitation. In Italy, nursing homes are less accessible, whereas family support is more available. Apparently less intensive treatment is applied in Italy, where a minimum time per day for rehabilitation services is not mandatory for payment. Occupational therapy is not used in Italy and the focus is more on physical therapy.

The Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation report of patients discharged from comprehensive medical rehabilitation programs in 1999.

This is the 10th annual report describing patients discharged from comprehensive medical rehabilitation programs in the United States that subscribe to the Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation. The analysis included 298,973 complete records of first admission cases discharged alive from 676 facilities in 1999. The data show that patients receiving care in comprehensive rehabilitation programs show measurable functional improvement and that a high percentage of patients are discharged to community-based settings.