Variation by diagnostic and practice pattern groups in the mobility outcomes of inpatient rehabilitation programs for children and youth

Background and Purpose. The purpose Of this study was to describe variation in functional mobility outcomes among children and youth with different di agnoses and belonging to groups with different practice patterns from an in patient pediatric rehabilitation hospital setting. Subjects. A sample of 13 8 individuals between the ages of I and 22 years ((X) over bar =9.4, SD=5.3 ) was enrolled. Methods. Physical therapists administered the "Mobility" do main of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory at the time of adm ission and at the time of discharge. Mobility level (combined admission and discharge scores) and amount of change between and within 4 diagnostic gro ups (traumatic brain injury, non-traumatic brain injury, orthopedic, and ne urological) and 5 neuromuscular and musculoskeletal practice pattern groups were calculated, and post hoc analyses were done for specific contrast com parisons. Results. Mobility scores between admission and discharge for all subgroups were different. Practice pattern groups were useful for identifyi ng variations in level of motor performance. Diagnostic groups best describ ed differences in mobility change during inpatient rehabilitation. Discussi on and Conclusion. The use of practice patterns as grouping categories may enhance our understanding of variation in clinical outcomes of children dur ing inpatient rehabilitation.