Few Patients With Stroke, TBI Receive Inpatient Rehabilitation Care

THURSDAY, June 11, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Few patients with stroke or traumatic brain injury (TBI) receive inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) care after hospitalization, according to a study published online June 10 in Neurology Open Access.

Abdulaziz T. Bako, Ph.D., from TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study using State Inpatient Databases of Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New York, and Washington for 2016 to 2019 to examine trends and correlates of discharge to IRF or skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) versus home among adults with a principal diagnosis of stroke, TBI, or traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI).

Of 444,908 patients, 21.8, 26.4, and 53.5 percent were discharged to IRF, SNF, and home, respectively. The researchers found that IRF discharge was highest in TSCI, followed by stroke and TBI (43.5, 21.8, and 13.7 percent, respectively) and remained stable over time. Higher odds of institutional rehabilitation versus home were seen for older patients, women, and non-Hispanic Blacks (adjusted odds ratios [aORs], 1.04, 1.19, and 1.29, respectively). Lower odds of institutional discharge versus home were seen with private insurance versus Medicare (aOR, 0.65) and with higher ZIP-code income (highest versus lowest quartile: aOR, 0.88). The odds of IRF versus SNF discharge were lower for non-Hispanic Black patients (aOR, 0.90) and higher for private insurance versus Medicare (aOR, 1.73) and higher area income (highest versus lowest quartile: aOR, 1.33).

“Receiving intensive rehabilitation after stroke, traumatic brain injury, and spinal cord injury can improve a person”s recovery, yet access to inpatient rehabilitation care remains inconsistent and may not be equitable,” coauthor Farhaad S. Vahidy, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., also from TIRR Memorial Hermann, said in a statement.

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