Chinese Journal of Rehabilitation Theory and Practice ›› 2026, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (9): 1033-1040.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1006-9771.2026.09.005

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Effect of standardized rehabilitation unit on traumatic brain injury

Chi Qianqian1,2, Zhang Xiaonian1,2(), Zhu Xiaomin1,2, Sun Wanyue1,2, Zhang Xin1,2, Zhou Jin1,2, Bu Hongwei1,2, Zhai Lei1,2, Zhang Xin1,2, Ling Zirui2, Chen Hongyu2   

  1. 1 Neurological Rehabilitation Sub-center, Beijing Bo'ai Hospital, China Rehabilitation Research Center, Beijing 100068, China
    2 School of Rehabilitation, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100068, China
  • Received:2026-02-09 Revised:2026-05-31 Accepted:2026-06-09 Published:2026-09-25 Online:2026-09-20
  • Contact: Zhang Xiaonian E-mail:youthzxn@163.com
  • Supported by:
    Capital's Funds for Health Improvement and Research(2022-2-6012)

Abstract:

Objective To establish three standardized rehabilitation unit models covering acute, critical and comprehensive recovery stages for traumatic brain injury (TBI) that fit the whole-course characteristics, clarify their multidisciplinary collaborative framework, standardized procedures, and information management system, and verify the clinical effectiveness of this staged rehabilitation unit on long-term functional prognosis and in-hospital complications of TBI patients.

Methods This study was conducted at two stages: model construction and efficacy verification. At the first stage, TBI rehabilitation units for acute, critical and recovery stages were established in the Department of Neurosurgery, Intensive Care Unit and Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, respectively, with unified multidisciplinary team configuration, standardized assessment and treatment protocols, collaborative workflows, and a dedicated information management system. At the second stage, 324 TBI patients admitted to the newly built rehabilitation units from July, 2023 to July, 2025 were enrolled as the observation group, and 167 TBI patients receiving traditional management from January, 2018 to December, 2022 were retrospectively selected as the control group. The primary outcomes were 1-year post-injury Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) and Disability Rating Scale (DRS) scores. Secondary outcomes included the incidence of in-hospital complications and the mean indwelling time of tracheal intubation, gastric tube and urinary catheter.

Results The 1-year GOS score was significantly higher (t = -7.836, P < 0.001), and the DRS score was significantly lower (t = -6.742, P < 0.001) in the observation group than in the control group. The overall incidence of complications was significantly lower in the observation group than in the control group (χ2 =18.762, P < 0.001). The incidences of pulmonary infection, urinary tract infection, pressure ulcer, lower extremity venous thrombosis and joint contracture deformity were all significantly reduced (χ2 >4.328, P < 0.05). The indwelling time of tracheal intubation, gastric tube and urinary catheter was significantly shorter in the observation group than in the control group (t > 10.276, P< 0.001).

Conclusion The acute-critical-comprehensive three-stage standardized TBI rehabilitation unit could significantly improve the long-term functional outcomes of TBI patients, reduce the incidence of complications, and shorten the indwelling time of invasive tubes through multidisciplinary collaboration, whole-course standardized management and information-based quality control. This model conforms to the pathological and functional laws of TBI, realizes seamless whole-course connection from acute treatment to recovery rehabilitation, and has good clinical feasibility and promotion value. It can provide evidence-based evidence and practical reference for the homogenized and standardized development of TBI rehabilitation in China.

Key words: traumatic brain injury, rehabilitation, multidisciplinary team, prognosis

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