Acquired brain injury (ABI) represents the largest number pediatric patients receiving inpatient rehabilitation (IPR). There is a lack of definitive parameters for therapy duration and intensity for optimal functional recovery during IPR, including limited evidence for a corresponding dose-response relationship between intensity and functional gains during IPR following ABI. Additionally, the translation of quality indicators into rehabilitation effectiveness for pediatric IPR requires consideration of facility-specific therapeutic interventions and intensities. Evidence is needed to establish the most cost-effective intensity for IPR following ABI. The purpose of the study was to determine the impact of intensive, multidisciplinary neurprehabilitation on functional independence and caregiver burden following ABI in pediatric populations at the time of discharge from IPR, including examination of motor (self-care and mobility) skills and cognition, length of stay (LOS), discipline-specific intensities (OT, PT, SLP), and predictors of functional outcomes with consideration of intensity. Another aim was to examine institutional variations in the type, duration, and amount of multidisciplinary rehabilitation between accredited pediatric rehabilitation centers in the Western United States for pediatric populations following ABI.
