BACKGROUND Many patients with acute stroke do not receive recommended care in tertiary hospital settings. Allied health professionals have important roles within multidisciplinary stroke teams and influence the quality of care patients receive. Studies examining the role of allied health professionals in acute stroke management are scarce, and very little is known about the clinical decision ma...

The Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scale is used in in-patient occupational therapy to measure progress of functional skills such as dressing, bathing, and eating. The recent changes in healthcare, transitioning from fee-for-service to capitative service delivery model, are requiring therapists to advance their skills in the area of prognostics. If the FIM can be used as an outcomes pred...

Risk factors for long-stays (more than 30 days) in Winnipeg hospitals were identified, including sociodemographic, illness, and system characteristics. The largest determinant of length of stay was discharge destination; discharge to a nursing home increased length of stay by 173% and 89% for medical and surgical patients, respectively. Hospital of stay also made a big difference for patients d...