Published Online
on May 26, 2005

A more recent version of this article appeared on July 1, 2005

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Submitted on December 16, 2004
Revised on February 13, 2005
Accepted on April 6, 2005

Length of Stay, Discharge Destination, and Functional Improvement. Utility of the Australian National Subacute and Nonacute Patient Casemix Classification

Leigh Tooth PhD^*; Kryss McKenna PhD; Kong Goh FAFRM(RACP); and Paul Varghese FRACP

From the Division of Occupational Therapy (K.M.), School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland; the Clinical Director (K.G.), Rehabilitation Medicine Gold Coast Hospital, Southport, Queensland; the Director of Geriatric Medicine (P.V.), Princess Alexandra Hospital, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, Queensland; and the School of Population Health (L.T.), University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: L.Tooth{at}sph.uq.edu.au.

Background and Purpose--Although implemented in 1998, no research has examined how well the Australian National Subacute and Nonacute Patient (AN-SNAP) Casemix Classification predicts length of stay (LOS), discharge destination, and functional improvement in public hospital stroke rehabilitation units in Australia.

Methods--406 consecutive admissions to 3 stroke rehabilitation units in Queensland, Australia were studied. Sociodemographic, clinical, and functional data were collected. General linear modeling and logistic regression were used to assess the ability of AN-SNAP to predict outcomes.

Results--AN-SNAP significantly predicted each outcome. There were clear relationships between the outcomes of longer LOS, poorer functional improvement and discharge into care, and the AN-SNAP classes that reflected poorer functional ability and older age. Other predictors included living situation, acute LOS, comorbidity, and stroke type.

Conclusions--AN-SNAP is a consistent predictor of LOS, functional change and discharge destination, and has utility in assisting clinicians to set rehabilitation goals and plan discharge.

Key words: rehabilitation • stroke outcome

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