Poster 40: Effect of Falls on Length of Stay in Different Stroke Rehabilitation Settings

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effect of falls on length of stay (LOS) in different inpatient stroke rehabilitation settings. Design: Retrospective data analysis was conducted to determine if falls affected LOS in different hospital settings. Rehabilitation hospitals were grouped by size (top 20th percentile defining large hospitals) and unit type (freestanding vs hospital unit). The 2-way analysis of covariance was used to compare group means by hospital type for fallers and nonfallers controlling for admission FIM instrument score and age. Setting: Inpatient rehabilitation hospitals in the United States. Participants: Adults in the American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association database undergoing stroke rehabilitation from 1999 to 2003 for ischemic stroke with fall data available (N=8415). Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measure: LOS. Results: A statistically significantly longer LOS was observed in fallers versus nonfallers (P<.001) across all hospital types. For fallers the mean LOS was 22 days and for nonfallers the mean LOS was 16 days. Units within hospitals and larger hospitals had longer LOS. The degree to which LOS was prolonged by falls did not differ significantly across hospital settings. Conclusions: The incidence of falls increases LOS across different inpatient rehabilitation settings.