# Evaluating associations between trauma-related characteristics and functional recovery in individuals with spinal cord injury

> **NIH NIH R03** · TEMPLE UNIV OF THE COMMONWEALTH · 2020 · $168,918

## Abstract

Project Summary
World Health Organization established that every year, around the world, between 250,000 and 500,000
people suffer a spinal cord injury (SCI). While existing research suggests links between the injury event, early
care, and rehabilitation outcomes, there still remains a critical knowledge gap – about how characteristics
associated with trauma and acute phases of SCI can allow us to better understand functional recovery post-
SCI. In the past, this research was partly hampered due to databases that either focused on trauma-care or
inpatient rehabilitation. However, using advanced analytical methods, we are now in a position to combine
databases that contain trauma and acute phase-related variables with patient-level characteristics to assess
longitudinal functional recovery over time. Trauma and acute phase-related variables include type of trauma,
cause of injury, process of care, clinical data, and outcome data during acute care. The overall objective of this
study is to use trauma and acute phase-related variables to explain the longitudinal functional recovery of
individuals with SCI, from acute to post-acute to community. This will be achieved by probabilistically linking
the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Outcomes Study (PTOS) database with the National Spinal Cord Injury
Model Systems (SCIMS) database. The PTOS and SCIMS databases provide complimentary information
about trauma and acute phases of SCI from acute hospital to inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) to community.
The long-term goal of our research is to identify trauma and acute phase-related variables that can be utilized
during acute care and post-acute rehabilitation interventions to improve clinical decision making, which in turn
enhances rehabilitation programs.The central hypothesis of this proposal is that trauma and acute phase-
related variables, combined with patient-level characteristics, will significantly predict longitudinal functional
recovery in individuals post-SCI. Our hypothesis is guided by prior research and our pilot work with the PTOS
database. A primary objective of this proposal is to examine the association between trauma and acute phase-
related variables with functional improvements during IRF in individuals with traumatic SCI using machine
learning ensemble methods (Aim 1). A secondary objective of this study is to develop longitudinal trajectories
of functional recovery over a period of 1-year post-SCI taking into account trauma, acute phase, and patient-
level characteristics during acute, post-acute, and community living using growth curve modelling (Aim 2). The
proposed study will yield novel insights about the relationship between trauma and acute phase-related
variables with functional status.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9902845
- **Project number:** 1R03HD101064-01
- **Recipient organization:** TEMPLE UNIV OF THE COMMONWEALTH
- **Principal Investigator:** Shivayogi V Hiremath
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $168,918
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-08-04 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9902845

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9902845, Evaluating associations between trauma-related characteristics and functional recovery in individuals with spinal cord injury (1R03HD101064-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9902845. Licensed CC0.

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