Fysioterapeuten (Jun 2020)
Improvements in Motor and Cognitive Function after Interdisciplinary Inpatient Stroke rehabilitation in a Norwegian hospital – a prospective cohort study
Abstract
Background and aim: Stroke rehabilitation is important for increased independence and coping with everyday life. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the degree of independence in daily function of stroke patients following specialized interdisciplinary inpatient rehabilitation, and to identify important factors for the functional changes at discharge. Design: Prospective cohort study with Functional Independence Measure (FIM) as outcome measure at admission and discharge. Methods: All stroke patients admitted to rehabilitation at Levanger Hospital, Norway, and who had a FIM score at admission and discharge, in the period 2010-2014, were included. Results: Two hundred and thirteen patients were included, 79 women and 134 men with mean age 69 years. After rehabilitation, the participants had improved significantly and clinically in the degree of independence in motor and cognitive FIM activities from admission to discharge (p <0.001) and 60 % returned directly to their home after the rehabilitation. Median length of stay was 23 days. FIM Motor subscore at admission and length of stay, were the strongest predictors of functional change at discharge. Conclusion: Interdisciplinary inpatient rehabilitation led to greater independence in motor and cognitive activities in patients with extensive functional impairment after stroke. Systematic assessment of function from ongoing practice is useful for further developing rehabilitation services but high quality RCT studies are needed to investigate the effect of the rehabilitation.
