Measuring Discharge Outcomes, Length of Stay, and Functional ADL Score During COVID-19 in Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospitals.
Caitlin Hartsgrove, Jenieve Guevarra-Fernandez, Jamila Kendall and 2 others
PMID 34303669WHAT IT FOUND
Discharge destination did not change between pre-pandemic and early-pandemic periods for 1074 patients, but early-pandemic patients had lower discharge function scores (41.0 vs 44.0, higher means more independent) and longer stays (18.8 vs 16.7 days), and COVID-positive status itself was not linked to outcomes.
Key findings
01Discharge destination did not differ between pre-pandemic and early-pandemic admissions, or between COVID-negative and COVID-positive patients during the early pandemic.
02During the early pandemic, average inpatient rehabilitation stay was 18.8 days versus 16.7 days before, and average discharge function score was 41.0 versus 44.0, where higher means more independent.
03Within the early-pandemic cohort, COVID-positive status was not significantly linked to discharge destination, rehabilitation stay, or discharge function score after other factors were considered.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study covered only one inpatient rehabilitation system, so results may not apply to other hospitals. Patients were grouped by admission time and COVID test status, not randomized, so other early-pandemic changes could explain the differences. The analysis excluded patients who died during rehabilitation or tested positive for COVID-19 when admitted to rehabilitation, so those patients are not represented. Race was recorded only as White, Black, or Other, so racial background could not be examined more closely. The study did not report therapy intensity or specific rehabilitation interventions, so it cannot show what treatment caused changes.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the longer stays and lower discharge function scores as proof that COVID-19 infection caused worse rehabilitation outcomes. Those differences were between calendar periods, and after other factors were considered, COVID-positive status itself was not linked to discharge destination, stay length, or discharge function score.