Vilai Kuptniratsaikul, Apichana Kovindha, Piyapat Dajpratham, Krisna Piravej
DOI: 10.2340/16501977-0288

Objective: To estimate the efficiency of inpatient rehabilitation for patients after stroke in Thailand.
Design: Multi-centre, prospective study. Subjects: Patients after stroke, aged ≥ 18 years, with stable medical signs, able to follow 1-step commands and to sit for at least 30 min.
Methods: Main outcomes included Barthel Index (BI) scores, BI effectiveness, BI efficiency, length of stay, Thai Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) scores, and quality of life.
Results: Of a total of 327 patients, 285 completed the programmes, with a mean length of stay of 27. 3 days. Mean age was 62. 1 (standard deviation (SD) 12. 1) years and 59% of patients were male. Mean BI scores on admission and at discharge were 7. 48 (SD 3. 96; range 0–19) and 13. 27 (SD 4. 86; range 0–20), respectively. The change score was 5. 79 (SD 3. 89) and the efficiency of functional score was 0. 28 points/day. Using multivariate analysis, factors associated with change in BI score were age, previous stroke and length of stay. Sixty-four patients (25. 5%) had anxiety and 95 (37. 8%) had depression on admission. At discharge, the numbers of patients with anxiety and depression decreased to 17 (6. 8%) and 41 (16. 3%), respectively. The quality of life scores at discharge were significantly higher than those on admission.
Conclusion: Inpatient rehabilitation enabled stroke patients to reach optimal functional ability, and improved psychological status and quality of life.