Quality of life after stroke in a rehabilitation setting

Abstract

The perceived Quality of Life (QOL) was evaluated in one-hundred and eleven participants after a first-ever stroke, who were admitted in a rehabilitation center and completed a 2-month program. The World Health Organization (WHO) QOL-100 was applied. Two domains were correlated with the functional status at discharge, namely, the level of independence and the social relations. The study confirmed the strong correlation between the functional status at admission and at discharge. Other predictive parameters of outcome were age and depression. The functional improvement was highly significant (p < 0.0001) at Wilcoxon test (40 points at functional independence measure (FIM) scale). The gain was gender-independent. Nevertheless, among females, a significant correlation was found between the FIM score at discharge and either distress value at Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) or QOL. In conclusion, the perceived QOL should be considered by a stroke rehabilitative team.