Recovery of Sensorimotor Functional Outcomes at Discharge from In-Patient Rehabilitation in Three Stroke Units in the Province of Quebec

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to portray the characteristics, process variables, and sensorimotor outcomes of patients who had received their usual post-stroke in-patient rehabilitation in three stroke rehabilitation units in Quebec in 2013–2014. Method: We assessed patients ( n = 264) at admission and discharge with a subset of a standardized assessment toolkit consisting of observational and performance-based assessment tools. Results: The patients, with a mean age of 60.3 (SD 15.4) years, were admitted 27.7 (SD 8.4) days post–stroke onset. They had a mean admission FIM score of 83.0 (SD 24.0), a mean length of stay of 48.4 (SD 31.1) days, a mean FIM discharge score of 104.0 (SD 17.0), and a mean FIM efficiency score of 0.44 (SD 0.29). All patient outcomes were significantly improved ( p < 0.001) and clinically meaningful at discharge (moderate to large Glass’s Δ effect sizes) with the improvements greater than or equal to the minimal detectable change at the 95% confidence level in 34%–75% of the patients. Improvements were larger on five of seven outcomes in a sub-group of patients with more severe stroke. Conclusions: The use of a combination of observational and performance assessment tools was essential to capture the full range of disabilities. We have documented significant and clinically meaningful improvements in functional independence, disability, and upper and lower extremity functions after usual post-stroke in-patient rehabilitation in the province of Quebec and provided baseline data for future studies.