Factors Associated With Functional Impairment After Pediatric Injury

Interrater reliability of chart-based assessment of functional impairment after pediatric injury using the functional status scale

BACKGROUND

Functional impairment has been proposed as an alternative outcome for quality improvement in pediatric trauma. The functional status scale (FSS) has been used in studies of injured children, but has only been validated with resource-intensive in-person assessment. Implementation with retrospective chart-based FSS assessment would offer a simplified and scalable alternative. The purpose of this study was to evaluate interrater reliability of retrospective FSS assessment and to identify factors associated with unreliable assessment.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort of admissions to a Level I pediatric trauma center between July 2020 and June 2021 was analyzed. Two physicians and two nurse registrars reviewed charts to obtain measures of six FSS domains (mental status, sensory functioning, communication, motor functioning, feeding, and respiratory status) at discharge. Functional impairment was categorized by total FSS scores as good (6,7), mild impairment (8,9), moderate impairment (10-15), severe impairment (16-21), or very severe impairment (>21). Interrater reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation (ICC). Predictors of rater disagreement were evaluated using multivariable logistic regression.

RESULTS

The cohort included 443 children with a mean age of 7.4 years (standard deviation, 5.4 years) and median Injury Severity Score of 9 (interquartile range, 5-12). The median time per chart to assess FSS was 2 minutes (interquartile range, 1-2). Thirty-seven patients (8%) had functional impairment at discharge. Interrater reliability was excellent for total FSS score (ICC = 0.87) and good for FSS impairment categorization (ICC = 0.80). Rater disagreement of functional impairment categorization occurred in 14% of cases overall. Higher level of functional impairment and use of therapies (occupational and speech language therapy) were independently associated with more frequent rater disagreement.

CONCLUSION

Chart-based FSS assessment is feasible and reliable, but may require more detailed review for patients with higher level of impairment that require allied health therapy. Validation of chart-based assessment is needed before widespread implementation.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Prognostic/Epidemiological, Level III.

Functional impairment associated with nonfatal pediatric firearm injuries

BACKGROUND

Firearm injury is now the leading cause of death for children in the United States. Functional morbidity among survivors also contributes to the public health burden of firearm injury but has not been quantified in children. This study aimed to assess functional impairment among survivors of pediatric firearm injury.

METHODS

We analyzed an 8-year (2014-2022) retrospective cohort of children (0-18 years) treated for firearm injuries at 2 urban level 1 pediatric trauma centers. The Functional Status Scale was used to assess functional impairment among survivors at discharge and at follow-up. Functional impairment was defined using multisystem (Functional Status Scale ≥8) and single-system (Functional Status Scale = 7) definitions.

RESULTS

The cohort included 282 children with a mean age of 11.1 (standard deviation 4.5) years. In-hospital mortality was 7% (n = 19). Functional impairment (Functional Status Scale ≥8) was present in 9% (n = 24) of children at discharge and in 7% (n = 13/192) at follow-up. Mild impairment in a single domain (Functional Status Scale = 7) was seen in 42% (n = 110) of the cohort at discharge. This impairment persisted to follow-up in most (67%, n = 59/88) of these children.

CONCLUSION

Functional impairment at discharge after firearm injury is common among children surviving transport in these trauma centers. These data highlight the added value of non-mortality metrics in assessing the health burden of pediatric firearm injuries. The collective impact of mortality and functional morbidity should be considered when advocating for resources to protect children.

Functional status of pediatric patients with trauma and risk factors for mortality from a single center in China

Introduction

The influence of reduced functional status has become increasingly relevant because of the gradual decline in mortality rate over the recent years. Nonetheless, only a few studies investigating the functional status of patients with trauma at hospital discharge have been conducted. This study aimed to identify the risk factors influencing the mortality rate in pediatric trauma survivors at a pediatric intensive care unit and analyze their functional status using the Functional Status Scale (FSS).

Methods

A retrospective analysis was conducted at Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University. Children admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit between January 2015 and January 2020 who met the trauma diagnostic criteria were included. The FSS score and the Injury Severity Score (ISS) were recorded upon admission and discharge, respectively. Clinical data were compared between the survival and non-survival groups to identify the risk factors for poor prognosis. The risk factors for mortality were identified using multivariate and univariate analyses.

Results

A total of 246 children {59.8%, male; median [interquartile range (IQR)] age: 3 [1-7] years} were diagnosed with trauma (including head trauma, chest trauma, abdominal trauma, and extremity trauma). Of these patients, 207 were discharged, 11 dropped out mid-treatment, and 39 died (hospital mortality rate, 15.9%). Upon admission, the median FSS and trauma scores were 14 (IQR, 11-18) and 22 (IQR, 14-33) points, respectively. At discharge, the FSS score was 8 (IQR, 6-10) points. The patient clinical status improved with a ΔFSS score of -4 (IQR, -7, 0) points. At hospital discharge, 119 (48.3%), 47 (19.1%), 27 (11.0%), 12 (4.8%), and 2 (0.9%) survivors had good, mildly abnormal, moderately abnormal, severely abnormal, and very severely abnormal function, respectively. Reduced functional status in patients was categorized as follows: motor, 46.4%; feeding, 26.1%; sensory, 23.2%; mental, 18.4%; and communication, 17.9%. In the univariate analysis, ISS >25 points, shock, respiratory failure, and coma were independently associated with the mortality rate. Multivariate analysis revealed that the ISS was an independent risk factor for mortality.

Conclusion

The mortality rate of patients with trauma was high. ISS was an independent risk factor for mortality. Mildly reduced functional status remained at discharge and was reported in nearly half of the discharged patients. Motor and feeding functions were the most severely impacted domains.

Evaluating the association between obesity and discharge functional status after pediatric injury

BACKGROUND

Children with obesity frequently have functional impairment after critical illness. Although obesity increases morbidity risk after trauma, the association with functional outcomes in children is unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the association of weight with functional impairment at hospital discharge in children with serious injuries.

METHODS

This secondary analysis of a multicenter prospective study included children <15 years old with a serious injury. Four weight groups, underweight, healthy weight, overweight, and obesity/severe obesity were defined by body mass index z-scores. The functional status scale (FSS) measured impairment across six functional domains before injury and at hospital discharge. New domain morbidity was defined as a change ≥2 points. The association between weight and functional impairment was determined using logistic regression adjusting for demographics, physiological measures, injury details, presence of a severe head injury, and physical abuse.

RESULTS

Although most patients discharged with good/unchanged functional status, new domain morbidity occurred in 74 patients (17%). New FSS domain morbidity occurred in 13% of underweight, 14% of healthy weight, 15% of overweight, and 26% of obese/severe obese patients. Compared to healthy weight patients, those with obesity had more frequent new domain morbidity (p = 0.01), while the other weight groups had similar morbidity. However, after adjustment for confounders, weight was not associated with new functional morbidity at discharge.

CONCLUSION

Patients with obesity have greater frequency of new domain morbidity after a serious injury; however, after accounting for injury characteristics, weight group is not independently associated with new functional morbidity at hospital discharge after injury in children.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

III.

Post-discharge rehabilitation and functional recovery after pediatric injury

INTRODUCTION

Variability in rehabilitation disposition has been proposed as a trauma center quality metric. Benchmarking rehabilitation disposition is limited by a lack of objective measures of functional impairment at discharge. The primary aim of this study was to determine the relative contribution of patient characteristics and hospitalization factors associated with inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation after discharge. The secondary aims were to evaluate the sensitivity of the Functional Status Scale (FSS) score for identifying functional impairments at hospital discharge and track post-discharge recovery.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We report a planned secondary analysis of a prospective observational study of seriously injured children (<15 years old) enrolled at seven pediatric trauma centers. Functional Status Scale (FSS) score was measured for pre-injury, hospital discharge, and 6-month follow-up timepoints. Multinomial logistic regression identified factors associated with three dispositions: home without rehabilitation services, home with outpatient rehabilitation, and inpatient rehabilitation. Relative weight analysis was used to identify the impact of individual factors associated with inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation disposition.

RESULTS

We analyzed 427 children with serious injuries. Functional impairment at discharge was present in 103 (24.1%) children, including 43/337 (12.8%) discharged without services, 12/38 (31.6%) discharged with outpatient rehabilitation, and 44/47 (93.6%) discharged to inpatient rehabilitation. In multivariable modeling, variables most contributing to prediction of inpatient rehabilitation were severe initial Glasgow coma scale (GCS), injured body region, and functional impairment at discharge. Severe initial GCS, private insurance, and extremity injury were independently associated with disposition with outpatient rehabilitation. Patients discharged without services or with outpatient rehabilitation most frequently had motor impairments that improved during the next 6 months. Patients discharged to inpatient rehabilitation had impairments in all domains, with many improving within 6 months. A higher proportion of patients discharged to inpatient rehabilitation had residual impairments at follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Injury characteristics and discharge impairment were associated with discharge to inpatient rehabilitation. The FSS score identified impairments needing inpatient rehabilitation and characterized improvements after discharge. Less severe impairments needing outpatient rehabilitation were not identified by the FSS score.

Establishing National Stakeholder Priorities for Quality Improvement in Pediatric Trauma Care: Consensus Results Using a Modified Delphi Process

BACKGROUND

Quality improvement (QI) efforts within pediatric trauma centers (PTCs) are robust, but the majority of children do not receive initial post-injury care at PTCs. Disparities in access to quality trauma care remain, particularly for children that initially access the trauma system outside of a PTC. The purpose of this project was to identify unmet needs for injured children within the pediatric emergency care system, and to determine national priorities for quality improvement across the continuum of pediatric trauma care.

METHODS

A panel of delegates representing patients and families, prehospital providers, federal funding partners, nurses, and physicians was recruited from ten national stakeholder organizations. Potential targets were identified using an initial stakeholder meeting followed by a free text response survey. Free text items were coded and condensed as themes, then ranked by the panel using a modified Delphi approach to determine consensus priorities. Items not achieving >35% prioritization on a given iteration were dropped from subsequent iterations. Consensus was defined as 75% of members designating an item as a top-four priority.

RESULTS

Nineteen themes were identified as potential targets for QI initiatives. Four iterations of panel ranking were utilized to achieve consensus, with four priorities identified: 1) creation of a toolkit and standard provider training for pediatric trauma triage, shock recognition, and early recognition for need to transfer to higher level of care; 2) development of minimum standards for pediatric trauma resuscitation and stabilization capability in non-pediatric centers; 3) facilitating creation of local nursing and physician champions for pediatric trauma; and 4) development and dissemination of best practice guidelines to improve imaging practices for injured children.

CONCLUSIONS

System-level quality improvement priorities for pediatric trauma care should focus resources on developing and implementing minimum pediatric standards for injury care, frontline provider training, stabilization protocols, imaging guidelines, and local pediatric champions.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level V.

All body region injuries are not equal: Differences in pediatric discharge functional status based on Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) body regions and severity scores

PURPOSE

Functional outcomes have been proposed for assessing quality of pediatric trauma care. Outcomes assessments often rely on Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) severity scores to adjust for injury characteristics, but the relationship between AIS severity and functional impairment is unknown. This study's primary aim was to quantify functional impairment associated with increasing AIS severity scores within body regions. The secondary aim was to assess differences in impairment between body regions based on AIS severity.

METHODS

Children with serious (AIS≥ 3) isolated body region injuries enrolled in a multicenter prospective study were analyzed. The primary outcome was functional status at discharge measured using the Functional Status Scale (FSS). Discharge FSS was compared (1) within each body region across increasing AIS severity scores, and (2) between body regions for injuries with matching AIS scores.

RESULTS

The study included 266 children, with 16% having abnormal FSS at discharge. Worse FSS was associated with increasing AIS severity only for spine injuries. Abnormal FSS was observed in a greater proportion of head injury patients with a severely impaired initial Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) (GCS< 9) compared to those with a higher GCS score (43% versus 9%; p < 0.01). Patients with AIS 3 extremity and severe head injuries had a higher proportion of abnormal FSS at discharge than AIS 3 abdomen or non-severe head injuries.

CONCLUSIONS

AIS severity does not account for variability in discharge functional impairment within or between body regions. Benchmarking based on functional status assessment requires clinical factors in addition to AIS severity for appropriate risk adjustment.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

1 (Prognostic and Epidemiological).

Functional status impairment at six-month follow-up is independently associated with child physical abuse mechanism

BACKGROUND

Children with abusive injuries have worse mortality, length-of-stay, complications, and healthcare costs compared to those sustaining an accidental injury. Long-term functional impairment is common in children with abusive head trauma but has not been examined in a cohort with heterogeneous body region injuries.

OBJECTIVE

To assess for an independent association between child physical abuse and functional impairment at discharge and six-month follow-up.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Seriously injured children (<15 years) treated at seven pediatric trauma centers.

METHODS

Functional status was compared between child physical abuse and accidental injury groups at discharge and six-month follow-up. Functional impairment was defined at discharge ("new domain morbidity") as a change from pre-injury ≥2 points in any of the six domains of the Functional Status Scale (FSS), and impairment at six-month follow-up as an abnormal total FSS score.

RESULTS

Children with abusive injuries accounted for 10.5% (n = 45) of the cohort. New domain morbidity was present in 17.8% (n = 8) of child physical abuse patients at discharge, with 10% (n = 3) of children having an abnormal FSS at six-months. There were no differences in new domain morbidity at hospital discharge between children injured by abuse and or accidental injury. However, children injured by physical abuse were 4.09 (2.15, 7.78) times more likely to have functional impairment at six months.

CONCLUSIONS

Child physical abuse is an independent risk factor for functional impairment at six-month follow-up. Functional status measurement for this high-risk group of children should be routinely measured and incorporated into trauma center quality assessments.

Incentive delivery timing and follow-up survey completion in a prospective cohort study of injured children: a randomized experiment comparing prepaid and postpaid incentives

Background

Retaining participants over time is a frequent challenge in research studies evaluating long-term health outcomes. This study’s objective was to compare the impact of prepaid and postpaid incentives on response to a six-month follow-up survey.

Methods

We conducted an experiment to compare response between participants randomized to receive either prepaid or postpaid cash card incentives within a multisite study of children under 15 years in age who were hospitalized for a serious, severe, or critical injury. Participants were parents or guardians of enrolled children. The primary outcome was survey response. We also examined whether demographic characteristics were associated with response and if incentive timing influenced the relationship between demographic characteristics and response. We evaluated whether incentive timing was associated with the number of calls needed for contact.

Results

The study enrolled 427 children, and parents of 420 children were included in this analysis. Follow-up survey response did not differ according to the assigned treatment arm, with the percentage of parents responding to the survey being 68.1% for the prepaid incentive and 66.7% with the postpaid incentive. Likelihood of response varied by demographics. Spanish-speaking parents and parents with lower income and lower educational attainment were less likely to respond. Parents of Hispanic/Latino children and children with Medicaid insurance were also less likely to respond. We found no relationship between the assigned incentive treatment and the demographics of respondents compared to non-respondents.

Conclusions

Prepaid and postpaid incentives can obtain similar participation in longitudinal pediatric critical care outcomes research. Incentives alone do not ensure retention of all demographic subgroups. Strategies for improving representation of hard-to-reach populations are needed to address health disparities and ensure the generalizability of studies using these results.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12874-021-01421-8.

Long-Term Outcomes after Pediatric Injury: Results of the Assessment of Functional Outcomes and Health-Related Quality of Life after Pediatric Trauma Study

BACKGROUND

Disability and impaired health-related quality of life can persist for months among injured children. Previous studies of long-term outcomes have focused mainly on children with specific injury types rather than those with multiple injured body regions. This study's objective was to determine the long-term functional status and health-related quality of life after serious pediatric injury, and to evaluate the associations of these outcomes with features available at hospital discharge.

STUDY DESIGN

We conducted a prospective observational study at 7 Level I pediatric trauma centers of children treated for at least 1 serious (Abbreviated Injury Scale severity 3 or higher) injury. Patients were sampled to increase the representation of less frequently injured body regions and multiple injured body regions. Six-month functional status was measured using the Functional Status Scale (FSS) and health-related quality of life using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory.

RESULTS

Among 323 injured children with complete discharge and follow-up assessments, 6-month FSS score was abnormal in 33 patients (10.2%)-16 with persistent impairments and 17 previously normal at discharge. Increasing levels of impaired discharge FSS score were associated with impaired FSS and lower Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory scores at 6-month follow-up. Additional factors on multivariable analysis associated with 6-month FSS impairment included older age, penetrating injury type, severe head injuries, and spine injuries, and included older age for lower 6-month Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory scores.

CONCLUSIONS

Older age and discharge functional status are associated with long-term impairment of functional status and health-related quality of life. Although most seriously injured children return to normal, ongoing disability and reduced health-related quality of life remained 6 months after injury. Our findings support long-term assessments as standard practice for evaluating the health impacts of serious pediatric injury.