Factors Associated With Rehabilitation Length of Stay in Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury: A Retrospective Cohort Study

This retrospective cohort study aimed to identify predictive factors for patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) requiring short (≤ 14 days) or long (≥ 15 days) rehabilitation length of stays (LOSs).The study was conducted in an acute rehabilitation hospital associated with a community-based tertiary medical center. Patients who were admitted to the acute inpatient rehabilitation unit with TBI between January 2020 and September 2022 were included (n = 197). The mean rehabilitation LOS of the 197 patients was 16.73 ± 9.4 days. A long rehabilitation LOS was associated with a higher rate of urinary tract infection in the rehabilitation facility (p = 0.002), a higher rate of lung infection in the inpatient rehabilitation facility (p = 0.003), unplanned readmission to acute care (p < 0.001), a longer LOS in acute care before admission to rehabilitation (p < 0.001), and a lower Section GG score on admission to rehabilitation (p < 0.001). The logistic regression model revealed having lower Section GG scores on admission to rehabilitation as the only factor predictive of a long rehabilitation LOS (odds ratio, 0.91; p < 0.001). Our study revealed that the Section GG score at admission to inpatient rehabilitation facilities is a predictor of rehabilitation LOS.