Clinical utility during inpatient rehabilitation of a clinical prediction rule for ambulation prognosis following spinal cord injury

This study evaluates how useful a tool called the van Middendorp clinical prediction rule (CPR) is for physical therapists working with patients who have spinal cord injuries or disorders (SCI/D) during their inpatient rehabilitation. The CPR helps predict the likelihood of a patient being able to walk a year after their injury. The study found that the CPR was more helpful for therapists with less experience and for patients with non-traumatic SCI/D. However, the CPR's predictions didn't always match what happened during rehabilitation, suggesting that therapists need to use their own judgment along with the CPR. Ultimately, the research suggests that while tools like the CPR can be useful, especially for less experienced therapists or those working with specific patient groups, they should not replace a therapist's own clinical expertise and should be used in combination with other factors.

• 1
  Clinical utility was reported for 45% of those with SCI and 88% with non-traumatic SCI/D.
• 2
  Therapists with less experience were more likely to report clinical utility and share with their patients.
• 3
  CPR probability was correlated with discharge FIM only for non-traumatic SCI/D.