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(Stroke. 2000;31:1024.)
© 2000 American Heart Association, Inc.
Original Contributions |
Home or Hospital for Stroke Rehabilitation? Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial
I: Health Outcomes at 6 Months
From the Rehabilitation and Ageing Studies Unit, Department of Medicine, Flinders University of South Australia, Daw Park, South Australia (C.A., S.R., M.C.); the Clinical Trials Research Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand (C.A., C.N.M.); and the Southern Domiciliary Care and Rehabilitation Service, Adelaide, South Australia (C.S., A.W.).
Correspondence to Professor Craig Anderson, Department of Medicine, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand. E-mail c.anderson{at}ctru.auckland.ac.nz
Background and Purpose—We wished to examine the effectiveness of an early hospital discharge and home-based rehabilitation scheme for patients with acute stroke.
Methods—This was a randomized, controlled trial comparing early hospital discharge and home-based rehabilitation with usual inpatient rehabilitation and follow-up care. The trial was carried out in 2 affiliated teaching hospitals in Adelaide, South Australia. Participants were 86 patients with acute stroke (mean age, 75 years) who were admitted to hospital and required rehabilitation. Forty-two patients received early hospital discharge and home-based rehabilitation (median duration, 5 weeks), and 44 patients continued with conventional rehabilitation care after randomization. The primary end point was self-reported general health status (SF-36) at 6 months after randomization. A variety of secondary outcome measures were also assessed.
Results—Overall, clinical outcomes for patients did not differ significantly between the groups at 6 months after randomization, but the total duration of hospital stay in the experimental group was significantly reduced (15 versus 30 days; P<0.001). Caregivers among the home-based rehabilitation group had significantly lower mental health SF-36 scores (mean difference, 7 points).
Conclusions—A policy of early hospital discharge and home-based rehabilitation for patients with stroke can reduce the use of hospital rehabilitation beds without compromising clinical patient outcomes. However, there is a potential risk of poorer mental health on the part of caregivers. The choice of this management strategy may therefore depend on convenience and costs but also on further evaluations of the impact of stroke on caregivers.
Key Words: caregivers • neuropsychological tests • randomized controlled trials • rehabilitation • stroke management
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