OTCohortEuropean journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine2023

Correlates of participation six months after stroke in an Italian population: results from the RIPS (Post-Stroke Intensive Rehabilitation) Study.

Chiara Castagnoli, Silvia Pancani, Teresa Barretta and 11 others

PMID 36723055

WHAT IT FOUND

Participation fell sharply after stroke; better scores were linked to milder stroke, greater daily independence, no cognitive impairment, and higher pre-stroke activity.

Key findings

01Participation fell steeply: median FAI was 28 before stroke and 13 at follow-up; 41.9% had good participation at follow-up, and 78 of 105 participants decreased.

02Higher participation at follow-up was independently associated with lower admission NIHSS, higher mBI, absence of cognitive impairment, and higher pre-stroke FAI.

03Domestic activity recovery was associated with female gender, higher pre-stroke participation, lower admission NIHSS, and higher mBI; leisure and work recovery was associated with lower admission NIHSS and normal cognitive status.

STILL TO COME

How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs

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What it does not show

Only patients who completed follow-up participation assessment were analysed, so many enrolled patients were not represented. The analysed group was younger and less impaired than the original sample, although the difference lessened when deceased patients were removed. Follow-up was partly by telephone, and some assessments used proxies, which can affect participation and cognitive screening. The study did not test whether any rehabilitation component caused better participation. The model explained only part of the variance, so other factors may matter.

The easy way to misread this

Do not read these associations as proof that a treatment caused better participation. This was an observational study of people who had already received intensive rehabilitation, and it did not test whether reducing stroke severity, improving daily living independence, or treating cognitive impairment changes participation.

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