Determinants of use of outpatient rehabilitation services following upper extremity injury.

This study documents the utilization of outpatient therapy services following upper extremity injury and identifies factors that influence the use of services. One hundred twelve patients admitted to a hand center for treatment of upper extremity injury were followed prospectively for 7 months to determine their utilization of therapy services and their perceptions of unmet need. Eighty percent of the patients used therapy services following their injury Those who were more severely injured, were female, had health insurance, or obtained disability compensation made more visits than other subjects. One third of the patients reported that they did not have an adequate number of therapy visits. Subjects cited various reasons (e.g., lack of insurance, transportation difficulties) for unmet need. These findings suggest that the variation in utilization of rehabilitation services depends on not only the severity of the injury but other patient characteristics and resources as well.