Assessment and selection for rehabilitation following acute stroke: a prospective cohort study in Queensland, Australia:

Objective:To describe current practice and investigate factors associated with selection for rehabilitation following acute stroke.Design:Prospective observational cohort study.Setting:Seven public hospitals in Queensland, Australia.Subjects:Consecutive patients surviving acute stroke.Measures:Rehabilitation selection processes are assessment for rehabilitation needs, referral for rehabilitation and receipt of rehabilitation. Functional impairment following stroke is modified Rankin Scale (mRS).Results:We recruited 504 patients, median age 73 years (interquartile range (IQR) = 62–82), between July 2016 and January 2017. Of these, 90% (454/504) were assessed for rehabilitation needs, 76% (381/504) referred for rehabilitation, and 72% (363/504) received any rehabilitation. There was significant variation in all rehabilitation selection processes across sites (P < 0.05). In multivariable analyses, stroke unit care (odds ratio (OR) = 2.7; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.1, 6.6) and post stroke functional imp...