Date of Award

2010

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Program

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

Supervisor

Dr. Robert Teasell

Abstract

Introduction. Individuals with severe stroke are perceived to make limited functional gains in rehabilitation, but they benefit in terms of other outcomes, especially, discharge destination (DD). Early identification of patients likely to be discharged home would ensure that those most likely to benefit, receive rehabilitation.

Objective. The objective of this study was to determine the predictive value of age, stroke severity and caregiver availability for DD of severe stroke patients undergoing rehabilitation.

Methods. Telephone interviews of severe stroke patients discharged from Parkwood Hospital were conducted to determine caregiver availability and current living status. Age, Functional Independence Measure (FIMTM) scores and caregiver availability were abstracted in a chart review, followed by analysis using logistic regression.

Results. All three factors were found to be predictive of DD. The inclusion of caregiver availability in a predictive model including age and admission FIMTM, improved the predictive accuracy o f the model.

Conclusion. Age, admission FIMTM and caregiver availability were significant predictors of post rehabilitation DD of individuals with severe stroke. These individuals were rarely discharged home in the absence of an available caregiver.

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.