Race/Ethnicity Matters: Differences in Poststroke Inpatient Rehabilitation Outcomes.

Objective: To examine racial/ethnic differences in poststroke inpatient rehabilitation outcomes.

Design: Cross-sectional and retrospective study of administrative data across 2002-2018. Setting: An inpatient rehabilitation facility in Southern California. Participants: 3,876 racial/ethnic people aged ≥ 18 years. Main outcome measures: Functional Independence Measure (FIM®) and discharge disposition.

Results: Participants were non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs, 68.5%), Hispanics (17.1%), non-Hispanic Asians (NHAs, 7.4%), and non-Hispanic Blacks (NHBs, 6.4%) aged 18-102 years (Mage = 68.47±14.66 years; MLOS = 19.47±10.05 days). Above and beyond covariates, multivariate hierarchical regression analyses showed race/ethnicity significantly predicted admission, motor efficiency, and discharge FIM® scores. Compared with NHWs, the Hispanic and NHA groups were associated with lower cognitive, motor, and total FIM® scores at admission; the NHB group was associated with lower motor efficiency, lower discharge motor and total FIM® scores, whereas the Hispanic group was associated with higher discharge total FIM® scores. Lastly, Hispanics had higher odds of a discharge home compared with NHWs.

Conclusions: Findings suggest racial/ethnic differences exist in poststroke rehabilitation outcomes.