Evaluation of complete functional status of patients with stroke by Functional Independence Measure scale on admission, discharge, and six months poststroke

Background: To evaluate the patients with stroke by Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scale, at the times of admission to hospital, discharge, and six-month poststroke, and to determine the level of improvement in patients after rehabilitative procedures. Methods: A total number of 108 patients with stroke entered the study who were admitted to neurology ward. They all received rehabilitation consultation, and occupational and physical therapies were prescribed for them. Finally, their functional status was evaluated by FIM scale. Results: The median (and range) of FIM scores were 86 (15-119), 102 (16-123) and 119 (17-126) at admission, discharge, and after six-month follow-up, respectively. Our observations showed a significant improvement in FIM scores (P < 0.001). About 13, 30, and 76 percent of the patients in individual functional tasks of motor domain and 61, 75, and 86 percent in cognitive domain got the score of 6 or 7 (complete or partial independence) on admission, discharge, and after six months, respectively. There was a reverse correlation between age and FIM improvement and also duration of hospitalization (P = 0.002). Conclusion: The study showed that the FIM is a valid tool for evaluation of patients with stroke, their follow-up and tracking the disease course. Moreover, we concluded that patients with stroke make a significant improvement in their functional status overtime. The exact effect of rehabilitative procedures and comparison with no treatment, must be assessed in separate studies.