title: The functional independence measure: its use to identify rehabilitation needs in stroke survivors.
abstract: To explore the potential of the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) as a prognostic indicator of outcome in stroke survivors, 113 consecutive patients were observed from admission until discharge. Patients received assessment and treatment by a multidisciplinary team in a regional tertiary care stroke-specific rehabilitation program. The FIM, Chedoke-McMaster Stroke Assessment, and discharge location were used as the main outcome measures. The results suggested that; (1) impairment variables alone are insufficient as prognostic indicators of outcome; (2) the absolute admission FIM score, not the change in the FIM score, is the best predictor of outcome disability and place of discharge; and (3) subgroups of stroke survivors with differing rehabilitation needs can be identified. The FIM allows us to classify stroke survivors according to their needs; therefore, attention should be redirected to the development of prognostic indicators for groups of stroke survivors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Oczkowski
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barreca
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009864:Ontario; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D010348:Patient Care Team; D010351:Patient Discharge; D011379:Prognosis; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017741:Survivors