Citation

Borg DN, Foster MM, Legg M, Jones R, Kendall E, Fleming J, Geraghty T. Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

The Hopkins Centre, Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia; Division of Rehabilitation, Metro South Health Hospital and Health Service, Brisbane, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.apmr.2020.02.008

PMID

32145278

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the effects of health and rehabilitation service use, unmet need for services and service obstacles on health-related quality of life (HR QoL) and psychological wellbeing after discharge from spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation.

DESIGN: Prospective cohort study, with participants followed up at 6- and/or 12 months after discharge from SCI inpatient rehabilitation. SETTING: Community setting. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-five people with SCI (mean age 51 years; 76.4% male; 61.8% traumatic injury; mean length of stay 137 days). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Service Usage Scale, Service Obstacles Scale (SOS), the EuroQol-5D and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale short-form. Eight predictors of outcome were considered: service use (i.e., use of General practitioner, medical specialist, nursing, and allied health, and rehospitalisation); unmet need; and service obstacles (i.e., finances and transport). Possibly important predictors of each outcome were identified via penalised regression, and a final model was fit using Bayesian hierarchical regression with a Gaussian or zero-inflated Poisson response distribution.

RESULTS: Financial obstacles were associated with a poorer HR QoL (β [95% credible interval, CI] = -0.095 [-0.166, -0.027]) and higher anxiety (odds ratio, OR [95% CI] = 1.63 [1.16, 2.23]). Rehospitalisation was associated with a lower EQ-VAS (β= -11.2 [-19.7, -2.5]), and interestingly, lower anxiety (OR= 1.63 [1.16, 2.23]). Use of allied health was associated with higher anxiety (OR= 2.48 [1.42, 4.44]).

CONCLUSION: The varying degrees of financial hardship experienced after injury with complex rehabilitation needs requires investigation, as does the interactive effects of service use, unmet need and service obstacles on outcomes like QoL and psychological wellbeing.

Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Language: en

Keywords

Access; allied health; rehabilitation; service usage