Functional independent recovery among stroke patients at King Hussein Medical Center

Abstract EN

Objective : To describe the functional independent recovery and to assess compliance effect to rehabilitation therapy among acute stroke patients at King Hussein Medical Center.

Methods : A total of 100 first time acute stroke (87 ischemic, 13 hemorrhagic) patients aged 60-70 years, who were admitted to King Hussein Medical Centre between June 2006 and June 2007 with acute stroke and at the same time were eligible for rehabilitative care were included in this descriptive study.

Data was collected using a specially designed medical abstract form for demographic characteristics, risk factors, functional independent recovery measure, follow-up for six months, and compliance to rehabilitation therapy.

Simple descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data.

Results : The results were classified into three groups.

Group I : patients who were independent within the first 72 hours (12%).

Group II : patients who were independent after six months (53%).

Group III : patients who were dependent with variable degrees (28%).

Four percent of the patients died during the 6-month follow-up period, and 3% were lost to follow-up.

Compliance to rehabilitation therapy was highest among group II (84.9%) however the lowest compliance percentage to rehabilitation therapy was among group III (17.9%).

The major causes of non-compliance to rehabilitation were financial, transportation difficulties, and family misconception of the irreversibility of this disease respectively.

Conclusion : A general health care policy is needed in order to improve the compliance of stroke patients to rehabilitation therapy.