Impact of multidisciplinary rehabilitation on functioning and quality of life in stroke survivors: a longitudinal retrospective analysis.

This was a retrospective observational study, not a randomised trial, so the groups may have differed before rehabilitation began. Patients were not randomly assigned to multidisciplinary rehabilitation, primary care therapy, or no rehabilitation; some also overlapped between groups. Multidisciplinary rehabilitation included individualized plans and other supports, and primary care groups could receive several therapies at once, so the effect of any single component cannot be separated. Nearly half of the stroke patients did not provide patient-reported quality-of-life data, and some were unable to participate because of aphasia, hearing impairment, or cognitive decline. Follow-up was partly by telephone interview and registry data, which may have introduced inaccurate responses or observer bias. At 3 years, 219 of 538 individuals had died, and survivors had better function than the original cohort, so long-term results mainly describe those who survived and could be assessed. The overall EQ-5D result was null during the first year, so positive findings in the multidisciplinary group should not be read as a general quality-of-life improvement.

The paper states that the authors have no conflicts of interest. It does not report a funding source.

Do not conclude that multidisciplinary rehabilitation caused the better functional or quality of life scores. The study was observational, patients were not randomly assigned, and several treatments and supports were delivered together, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated.