Beyond function: predicting participation in a rehabilitation cohort.

Abstract

To monitor participation in a rehabilitation cohort and to identify determinants of change during a 12-month period posthospitalization following the onset of one of several major disabling conditions. Cohort study. Postacute care rehabilitation settings. Adults (N=435) aged 18 years and older with complex medical, lower-extremity orthopedic, and major neurologic impairments. Not applicable. At 1-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups, community participation and social and home participation were assessed by personal interviews using the Participation Measure for Post-Acute Care. Information on potential determinants was abstracted from the medical chart and by personal interview using standardized instruments. On average, rehabilitation patients achieved modest improvements in their levels of community participation during the first 6 months after acute hospitalization. In contrast, these same patients displayed a modest loss in social and home participation levels during the follow-up period. Activity limitations were the dominant factors that explained much of the variance in the extent of community participation achieved by patients. Personal and social environmental factors played a major role in predicting levels of social and home participation. The focus of rehabilitation interventions aimed at achieving posthospital participation requires careful consideration of the specific domain of participation that is being targeted.