The Spinal Cord Injury Program has an average length of stay of 28 days for patients admitted with a spinal cord injury.
What does this data mean?
For 2011, the average length of stay for a patient with a spinal cord injury was 28 days. The national average length of stay was 37.4 days. This means our patients were able to return home with their families sooner.
Why is the length of stay important?
The Spinal Cord Injury Program is designed to get patients to a functional level necessary to return home and to the community. The graph shows that our patients required a shorter length of stay than patients at national pediatric facilities.
How does Children’s make sure we are giving high-quality care?
- The team is managed by a pediatric physiatrist (physical and rehabilitation doctor). The team meets weekly to discuss treatment goals and each patient’s progress and discharge plan.
- We provide therapy seven days a week with at least three hours of therapy a day. As the patient improves, the treatment plan is adjusted to reach rehabilitation goals for discharge. These goals help the patient return to daily activities at home and school—from elementary school to college.
- Our team teaches families about how to care for their child during the rehab stay and once their child goes home.
- Case managers serve as a resource for the family during and after the patient’s stay. Case managers coordinate care at Children’s and as the patient returns home.
Patient length of stay is reported by Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation (UDSMR) quarterly. UDSMR compares our Spinal Cord Injury Program to other pediatric programs in the nation.