Needs assessment of individuals with stroke after discharge from hospital stratified by acute Functional Independence Measure score.

PURPOSE To determine the needs, barriers and facilitators of function in individuals with stroke after discharge from hospital. To examine the results stratified by the patient's acute score (<41, 41-80, >80) on the functional independence measure (FIM). METHOD This was a cohort study of 209 patients who had been admitted to hospital because of stroke. Patients were interviewed following hospital discharge using a semi-structured interview and asked to complete and return a quantitative closed-ended survey. RESULTS For most domains, frequencies of needs varied across the FIM groups. Combining all FIM groups, the interview showed needs related to: physical impairments (35%), time for recovery (33%), education (28%), medical advice (25%), therapies and services (21%), social needs (19%) and emotional needs (18%). From the interview, the most frequent barriers were physical impairments (55%) and emotional concerns (40%). Common facilitators were family support (54%), therapies and medical care (40%) and personal attitudes (22%). Additional needs from the survey concerned: IADL, mobility, ADL, recreation, finances, communication and employment. Additional barriers from the survey were: attitudes, social participation, environments and limited services. CONCLUSIONS There is a large and varied number of needs and barriers following discharge from hospital that have planning and advocacy implications for rehabilitation teams.