Background: Previous studies have demonstrated the functional benefit of rehabilitation in patients with high-grade gliomas (HGGs). However, patients who go to inpatient rehabilitation following surgery are vulnerable to treatment delays. The purpose of this study is to investigate the wait time (WT) between surgery and initiation of chemoradiation and overall survival (OS) in HGG patients who are admitted to inpatient rehabilitation compared to patients who are discharged home after surgery. Methods: 291 HGG patients treated from 2011-2017 were included. Patients were grouped by disposition following the hospital stay during which they had their initial surgical procedure. Results: 38 patients were admitted to acute inpatient rehabilitation facilities (AIRFs), 20 patients were admitted to skilled nursing or long-term care facilities, 62 patients were discharged home with additional rehabilitation, and 171 patients were discharged home without services. Median length of hospital stay (LOS) was longer in AIRF patients (10 days) compared to patients discharged home without services (3 days) (p < 0.0001). AIRF admission was associated with higher odds of excessive treatment delay, defined as WT > 35 days (OR = 3.13; 95% CI: 1.38 – 7.08). Median OS for AIRF patients was 42.9 weeks and 72.71 weeks for patients discharged home without services (p = 0.003). WT was not associated with OS even after adjusting for other prognostic factors (HR: 0.996, p = 0.6206). Conclusions: HGG patients who are discharged to rehabilitation facilities following initial surgery have longer LOS, longer WT, and shorter OS compared to patients who are discharged home.
