The effectiveness of transitional care services for improving quality of life of older stroke patients after discharge from hospital

Abstract

Many stroke patients encounter a variety of problems after discharge from hospital. This study aimed to investigate whether an 8 week transitional care service could enhance the quality of life for stroke patients after discharge from hospital. 129 elderly stroke patient participants (60+) were recruited from an 8-week home-based transitional care program - Integrated Discharge Support Program (IDSP) during 2013-14. Demographic characteristics, service utilization, and quality of life indicators (e.g., ADL, IADL, cognitive status, depressive symptoms, and social support) were assessed by using standardized questionnaire. Univariate and multivariate analysis were applied to investigate the effectiveness of the IDSP. After assessment at the beginning of transitional care service, the peak of service utilization occurred at the second month for the majority of participants. Rehabilitation service was significantly associated with the improvement of ADL and social support in univariate analysis. After adjusted for age, gender, marriage status, education level and comorbidities, ADL improvement could be increased by one score when rehabilitation service provided by care workers was enhanced by 28 hours (P=0.08); and social support could be increased by one point if service provided by physiotherapist and occupational therapist was enhanced by around 5 hours (P<0.01). The present study provided evidence that rehabilitation service provided during an 8-week of period of transitional care had a positive impact on the quality of life for stroke patients after discharge from hospital.