Main outcomes of stroke rehabilitation: a multi-centre study in Thailand.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the efficiency of inpatient rehabilitation for patients after stroke in Thailand.


METHODS
Multi-centre, prospective study.


METHODS
Patients after stroke, aged >or= 18 years, with stable medical signs, able to follow 1-step commands and to sit for at least 30 min.


METHODS
Main outcomes included Barthel Index (BI) scores, BI effectiveness, BI efficiency, length of stay, Thai Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) scores, and quality of life.


RESULTS
Of a total of 327 patients, 285 completed the programmes, with a mean length of stay of 27.3 days. Mean age was 62.1 (standard deviation (SD) 12.1) years and 59% of patients were male. Mean BI scores on admission and at discharge were 7.48 (SD 3.96; range 0-19) and 13.27 (SD 4.86; range 0-20), respectively. The change score was 5.79 (SD 3.89) and the efficiency of functional score was 0.28 points/day. Using multivariate analysis, factors associated with change in BI score were age, previous stroke and length of stay. Sixty-four patients (25.5%) had anxiety and 95 (37.8%) had depression on admission. At discharge, the numbers of patients with anxiety and depression decreased to 17 (6.8%) and 41 (16.3%), respectively. The quality of life scores at discharge were significantly higher than those on admission.


CONCLUSIONS
Inpatient rehabilitation enabled stroke patients to reach optimal functional ability, and improved psychological status and quality of life.
Kuptniratsaikul
Vilai
V
Rehabilitation Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. sivkp@mahidol.ac.th
Kovindha
Apichana
A
Dajpratham
Piyapat
P
Piravej
Krisna
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D013624:Taiwan