Tatsuya Igarashi, RPT, MSc, Shota Hayashi, RPT, MSc, Kaichi Ogawa, RPT, Shinya Matsui, RPT, Terutaka Nishimatsu, MD
Jpn J Compr Rehabil Sci 13: 56-63, 2022
Objective: Although there have been reports
examining the relationship between daily rehabilitation
time and functional gain, few have fully considered
background factors such as severity of motor paralysis
and comorbidities. This study aimed to examine the
relationship between the daily rehabilitation time and
improvement in functional status, longitudinally in
hospitalized older adults with subacute stroke.
Method: From the results of the Functional Independence
Measure (FIM), we calculated the FIM gain and FIM
effectiveness, a measure that is less sensitive to the ceiling
effect of FIM. Adjusted for covariates, multiple regression
analysis was performed for daily rehabilitation time and
FIM gain and effectiveness.
Results: This study enrolled 298 hospitalized older
adults with subacute stroke (mean age, 78.1 +- 8.1
years, 112 females). The total scores of functional
independence measure gain and effectiveness were
31.6 +- 22.5 points and 54.4 +- 35.2%, respectively.
There was an association between FIM gain (total
score) and total rehabilitation time (B = 0.29, p < 0.01)
and between FIM effectiveness (total score) and total
rehabilitation time (B = 0.22, p < 0.01).
Conclusions: Although prognosis after stroke is poorer
in older adults than in young adults, this study shows
that increased daily rehabilitation time may improve
functional status.
Key words: functional limitation, stroke, acute phase, rehabilitation, functional recovery