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. 2011:4:247-59.
doi: 10.2147/JMDH.S22569. Epub 2011 Jul 22.

Demographic and stroke-related factors as predictors of quality of acute stroke care provided by allied health professionals

Julie A Luker  1 , Julie Bernhardt, Karen A Grimmer-Somers
Affiliations

Demographic and stroke-related factors as predictors of quality of acute stroke care provided by allied health professionals

Julie A Luker et al. J Multidiscip Healthc. 2011.

Abstract

Background: We recently indicated that patient age on its own is not a determinant of quality of allied health care received after an acute stroke. It has not been tested whether other non-age variables influence care decisions made by allied health professionals. This paper explores demographic and stroke-related variables that are putatively associated with the quality of care provided to acute stroke patients by allied health professionals.

Methods: Data were retrospectively audited from 300 acute stroke patient records regarding allied health care. Compliance with each of 20 indicators of allied health care quality was established. The influence of various demographic and stroke-related variables on each performance indicator was examined. We undertook a series of analyses using univariate logistic regression models to establish the influence of these variables on care quality.

Results: Patient age had a significant correlation with only one process indicator (early mobilization). Seven variables, including stroke severity and level of dependence, were associated with patient age. The majority of these age proxies had significant associations with process indicator compliance. Correlations between non-age variables, in particular stroke severity and comorbidity, suggest the potential for complex confounding relationships between non-age variables and quality of allied health care.

Conclusion: Compliance with individual indicators of allied health care was significantly associated with variables other than patient age, and included stroke severity, previous independence, comorbidities, day of admission, stroke unit admission, and length of stay. The inter-relationships between these non-age variables suggest that their influence on quality of care is complex.

Keywords: allied health care; comorbidity levels; predictor variables; stroke severity.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Simple causal pathway of variables associated with a patient journey following acute stroke.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Confounding relationships between non-age variables. Abbreviations: CCI, Charlson Comorbidity Index; LOS, length of stay.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Relationships between variables for the patient journey with acute stroke. Abbreviation: PI, process indicator.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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