Comprehensive Outpatient Rehabilitation Program: Hospital-Based Stroke Outpatient Rehabilitation

Background: Few studies have considered the effectiveness of outpatient rehabilitation programs for stroke patients. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a hospital-based interdisciplinary outpatient stroke rehabilitation program with respect to physical functioning, mobility, and balance. Methods: The Comprehensive Outpatient Rehabilitation Program provides a hospital-based interdisciplinary approach to stroke rehabilitation in Southwestern Ontario. Outcome measures from physiotherapy and occupational therapy sessions were available at intake and discharge from the program. A series of paired sample t-tests were performed to assess patient changes between time points for each outcome measure. Results: A total of 271 patients met the inclusion criteria for analysis (56.1% male; mean age = 62.9 +/- 13.9 years). Significant improvements were found between admission and discharge for the Functional Independence Measure, grip strength, Chedoke-McMaster Stroke Assessment, two-minute walk test, maximum walk test, Timed Up and Go, Berg Balance Scale, and one-legged stance (P <.003 for all). Conclusions: The findings indicate that an interdisciplinary rehabilitation program was effective at improving the physical functioning, mobility, and balance of individuals after a stroke. A hospital-based, stroke-specific rehabilitation program should be considered when patients continue to experience deficits after inpatient rehabilitation. (C) 2016 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.