Wendy Boerboom, Majanka H. Heijenbrok-Kal, Fop van Kooten, Ladbon Khajeh, Gerard M. Ribbers
Rijndam Rehabilitation Center and Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. E-mail: wboerboom@rijndam.nl
DOI: 10.2340/16501977-2096

Objective: To assess long-term unmet needs in relation to community integration and employment status 4 years after subarachnoid haemorrhage.
Design: Four-year follow-up of a prospective cohort.
Patients: Sixty-seven patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage.
Methods: Employment status was assessed and the Community Integration Questionnaire-Revised and Southampton Needs Assessment Questionnaire were used.
Results: The mean age of subarachnoid haemorrhage onset was 52. 5 years (standard deviation (SD) 10. 7 years) and 39% of subjects were male. Four years after subarachnoid haemorrhage, 23. 9% of subjects had symptoms of depression, 43. 3% had mild cognitive impairment, 67. 2% were unemployed and 67. 2% had one or more unmet needs. Most subjects reported a need for information (59. 7%). Unemployed patients had more unmet needs than employed patients (p = 0. 034), but no independent relationship was found. The community integration score was moderate (mean 15. 1; SD 4. 4). A higher level of unmet needs was independently related to a lower level of community integration (B = –0. 25; p = 0. 018), adjusted for age and comorbidity.
Conclusion: A large proportion of patients have unmet needs and are unemployed 4 years after subarachnoid haemorrhage. There is an inverse relationship between unmet needs and community integration. Future research should investigate whether dealing with information needs during rehabilitation contributes to better community integration in these patients.