Medical educational and functional determinants of employment after stroke

Abstract

To evaluate the medical educational and functional determinants of employment after stroke a total of 204 Patients were assessed for functional changes during rehabilitation and after one year. Additionally the educational and social background of each patient was documented. One year after discharge from the rehabilitation unit 11.3% of the patients worked full-time and 2.7% part time. Another 14.7% had the decision pension versus employment still pending and 0.5% were classified as unemployed. 70.8% received regular retirement plan payments or disability pensions. Generally a similar level of functional capabilities can be observed after one year for working and non-working patients except for manual dexterity. Early admission to rehabilitation (within the first 12 weeks) favours return to work. A high school degree qualifying for university entrance and a well paid and better qualified profession as well are correlated with a higher percentage of patients regaining their employment. An other determining factor of employment after CVA is the physical requirement of the former work. Most of the working patients (92%) had been either transferred onto a job suited for an handicapped people or their work plan had been restructured accordingly.