Data base for stroke rehabilitation using computerized English text discharge summaries.

A data processing system programmed in a terminal-oriented language called APL is described. This user-oriented system features the print-out of English text discharges summaries for patients treated in a stroke rehabilitation unit. The variables contained in the summaries are stored in the computer for statistical analysis, allowing continous monitoring of the unit's activities. Seventy-eight percent of patients with moderate to severe hemiparesis were able to return home after an average length of stay of 44 days. The value of the described system is suggested for muliticenter, cooperative studies on stroke.