Time spent at home poststroke: "home-time" a meaningful and robust outcome measure for stroke trials.
OBJECTIVE
Stroke outcome assessment requires some measure of functional recovery. Several instruments are in common use but all have recognized limitations. We examined duration of stay in the patient's own home over the first 90 days since stroke-"home-time"-as an alternative outcome likely to show graded response with improved reliability.


METHODS
We examined prospectively collected data from the GAIN International trial using analysis of variance with Bonferroni contrasts of adjacent modified Rankin scale score categories.


RESULTS
We had full outcome data from 1717 of 1788 patients. Increasing home-time was associated with improved modified Rankin scale scores (P<0.0001). The relationship held across all modified Rankin scale grades except 4 to 5.


CONCLUSIONS
Home-time offers a robust, useful, and easily validated outcome measure for stroke, particularly across better recovery levels.
Quinn
Terence J
TJ
Dawson
Jesse
J
Lees
Jennifer S
JS
Chang
Tou-Pin
TP
Walters
Matthew R
MR
Lees
Kennedy R
KR
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D023381:Endpoint Determination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010351:Patient Discharge; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D013997:Time Factors