Sex-Specific Predictors of Inpatient Rehabilitation Outcomes after Traumatic Brain Injury

Objective To identify sex-specific predictors of inpatient rehabilitation outcomes among patients with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) from a population-based perspective. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Inpatient rehabilitation. Participants Patients in inpatient rehabilitation for a TBI within 1 year of acute care discharge between 2008/2009 and 2011/2012 (N=1730, 70% men, 30% women). Interventions None. Main Outcome Measures Inpatient rehabilitation length of stay, total FIM score, and motor and cognitive FIM ratings at discharge. Results Sex, as a covariate in multivariable linear regression models, was not a significant predictor of rehabilitation outcomes. Although many of the predictors examined were similar across men and women, sex-specific multivariable models identified some predictors of rehabilitation outcome that are specific for men and women; mechanism of injury (P<.0001) was a significant predictor of functional outcome only among women, whereas comorbidities (P<.0001) was a significant predictor for men only. Conclusions Predictors of outcomes after inpatient rehabilitation differed by sex, providing evidence for a sex-specific approach in planning and resource allocation for inpatient rehabilitation services for patients with TBI.