Inpatient Post-Acute Rehabilitation For Patients in the Midwest: a Prospective Cohort Study of Clinical Characteristics and Process Outcomes

NCT07351526 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 0164
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 100
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Rehabilitation improves health outcomes, reduces disability and improves quality of life. There is a significant and emerging body of international evidence to support the benefit and cost effectiveness of specialist rehabilitation services within a modern health service. The demand for rehabilitation services is growing with changes in populations and with the advances in health care and new interventions and technology. Our overall aim is to explore the outcomes and clinical characteristics of adults who are admitted to a rehabilitation hospital in the Midwest region of Ireland during admission, at the time of their discharge and at 6 months.

Conditions

Rehabilitation; Frailty; Complex Patients in Rehabilitation Phase

Keywords

rehabilitation; complexity; rehabilitation outcomes

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Incidence of functional decline

  The number of participants who experience functional decline or do not as measured by the Barthel Index (BI). Functional decline is defined as a net decrease in the number of activities of daily living performed independently as measured by the self-reported BI. The sum of all of the 10 subscales of the BI ranges from 0-20 points where a higher score indicates increased independence.

  Baseline

• Incidence of functional decline

  The number of participants who experience functional decline or do not as measured by the Barthel Index (BI). Functional decline is defined as a net decrease in the number of activities of daily living performed independently as measured by the self-reported BI. The sum of all of the 10 subscales of the BI ranges from 0-20 points where a higher score indicates increased independence.

  From the date on inception into the study until the date of discharge from hospital, assessed up to 6 months

• Incidence of Functional Decline

  The number of participants who experience functional decline or do not as measured by the Barthel Index (BI). Functional decline is defined as a net decrease in the number of activities of daily living performed independently as measured by the self-reported BI. The sum of all of the 10 subscales of the BI ranges from 0-20 points where a higher score indicates increased independence.

  6 Months

Secondary Outcomes (12)

• Healthcare use

  6 Months

• Polypharmacy level

  Baseline

• Polypharmacy level

  From the date on inception into the study until the date of discharge from hospital, assessed up to 6 months

• Polypharmacy level

  6 Months

• Frailty

  From the date on inception into the study until the date of discharge from hospital, assessed up to 6 months

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

All adults admitted to St Ita's Rehabilitation Hospital from February 2025 to February 2026 (inclusive) will be considered eligible for participation in the study, if they meet the inclusion criteria.

You may not qualify if:

• Pregnant women and patients who are deemed not to have capacity to consent.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Limerick: lead

Study Sites (1)

School of Allied Health, University of Limerick

Limerick, Munster, V94 T9PX, Ireland

RECRUITING

Related Publications (2)

• Zhang S, Lin D, Wright ME, Swallow N. Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Improves Function Independent of Comorbidities in Medically Complex Patients. Arch Rehabil Res Clin Transl. 2022 Jan 12;4(2):100178. doi: 10.1016/j.arrct.2022.100178. eCollection 2022 Jun.

  PMID: 35756989 BACKGROUND

• Wang H, Camicia M, DiVita M, Mix J, Niewczyk P. Early inpatient rehabilitation admission and stroke patient outcomes. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2015 Feb;94(2):85-96; quiz 97-100. doi: 10.1097/PHM.0000000000000226.

  PMID: 25569470 BACKGROUND

Related Links

• Irish Society of physicians in Geriatric medicine strategy for rehabilitation for older people in Ireland
• Post-Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Service Provision: A National Overview of HSE Funded Services
• World Health Organisation fact sheet - rehabilitation

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Frailty

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Pathologic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Target Duration: 6 Months
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 8, 2025
• First Posted: January 20, 2026
• Study Start: February 22, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 22, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 22, 2026
• Last Updated: January 20, 2026

Record last verified: 2025-10

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share

Locations

IE (1)