Medical Rehabilitation

IT HealthTrack conducts medical outcomes research on an ongoing basis for the purposes of continuing quality improvement and program evaluation. We also consult with other researchers to support their investigations, particularly in the area of data collection. Thirdly, we collaborate with a team of researchers to continually involve ourselves in studies related to follow-up functional assessment, building our own structured program of research.

Current Study:

American Heart Association. This investigation involves a retrospective analysis using information from three national databases to examine the relationship between overall satisfaction and functional status of patients with stroke at three to six months following inpatient medical rehabilitation. We are also developing a set of patient satisfaction questions for persons with stroke that is consistent with an established conceptual model of satisfaction and reflects priorities identified by a national sample of rehabilitation providers. Finally, we are examining the longitudinal relationship between functional status, satisfaction and socioeconomic variables in the sample.

Completed Studies:

Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Predicting Rehospitalization in Medical Rehabilitation. Received funding for two years to systematically examine a national data base of patients who have received inpatient medical rehabilitation to determine specific variables or patterns associated with incidents of rehospitalization.

National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research, (NIDRR), Project R7: Intermodal Agreement of Telephone Follow- up Functional Assessment using the Functional Independence Measure (FIM). Received funding to conduct a one-year study (November 1993 - October, 1994) to examine the agreement between FIM scores obtained by two different modes; telephone interview and in-person assessment of subject functional performance.

Multiple Sclerosis:

Dave Smith designs and develops data management systems for major Multiple Sclerosis (MS) treatment centers in the United States. These systems provide a comprehensive method of tracking longitudinal data related to MS diagnosis and treatment. The primary components of the system include a data collection method, data base software and query and reporting capabilities that allow investigators to systematically examine the relationship among the many critical variables currently being studied in MS research. The data collection method, provided through Teleform™ technology is a means of gathering large volumes of information and reliably importing the information into databases. The database is developed to receive, organize and archive data in preparation for analysis. The query and reporting processes built into the system provide a preliminary means for descriptive and non-parametric analysis in preparation for rigorous statistical investigation.