Pattern of disability among patients attending Taif Rehabilitation Center, Saudi Arabia.

Purpose: Despite the growing awareness of the community about the economic, psychological and medical impact of disability, limited research has been carried out to determine the pattern of disabilities in Saudi Arabia.
Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of hospital records of patients who were admitted to Armed Forces Rehabilitation Center, Taif, Saudi Arabia, during the period from 1999-2005. A total of 850 patient records were reviewed. Data were collected on age, sex, nationality, data of admission and discharge and type of disability. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine predictors of long stay at the hospital.
Results: Trauma as an etiology of disability was more common than non-traumatic incidents among male and middle age patients (16-45 years). Traumatic accidents mostly result in quadriplegia (72.8%). Male, single, less than 45 years old, patients with traumatic accidents and patients with paralytic types of disability were significantly more likely to stay longer at the hospital (>or=6 months).
Conclusions: The home care program should be expanded to minimize duration of stay at the rehabilitation centers with lower cost as well as health education of the public would help in encouraging disabled patients to adapt to daily life activities.