POST-STROKE INPATIENT REHABILITATION

Abstract

This study was undertaken to identify indicators that predict discharge disposition after an acute stroke rehabilitation program. A cohort of 152 incident cases suffering from stroke (76 women and 76 men) voluntarily participated in this study. They were recruited from a general hospital in which they were participating in a rehabilitation program. Post-stroke biologic, sociodemographic, and psychosocial characteristics were considered in our analyses. A polychotomous nominal logistic regression analysis was used to predict inpatient rehabilitation discharge disposition. The three discharge disposition categories were (1) private home, (2) rehabilitation center, and (3) long-term care facility. Significant predictors related to the discharge toward a rehabilitation center were functional status at admission, presence of social support, and gait status. Significant predictors for discharge to a long-term care facility were functional status at admission, presence of social support, gait status, and presence of medical complications. Functional status measured on rehabilitation admission should be considered, in conjunction with the patient's social support, gait status, and presence of medical complications, to be predictive of post-stroke rehabilitation discharge disposition.