Is stroke early supported discharge still effective in practice? A prospective comparative study

Fisher, Rebecca J.; Cobley, Christine; Potgieter, Iskra; Moody, Amy; Nouri, Fiona; Gaynor, Catherine; Byrne, Adrian; Walker, Marion F.

Abstract

Objective:
Randomised controlled trials have shown the benefits of Early Supported Discharge (ESD) of stroke survivors. Our aim was to evaluate whether ESD is still beneficial when operating in the complex context of frontline healthcare provision.

Design:
We conducted a cohort study with quasi experimental design. A total of 293 stroke survivors (transfer independently or with assistance of one, identified rehabilitation goals) within two naturally formed groups were recruited from two acute stroke units: ‘ESD’ n=135 and ‘Non ESD’ n=158 and 84 caregivers. The ‘ESD’ group accessed either of two ESD services operating in Nottinghamshire, UK. The ‘Non ESD’ group experienced standard practices for discharge and onward referral. Outcome measures (primary: Barthel Index) were administered at baseline, 6 weeks, 6 months and 12 months.

Results:
The ESD group had a significantly shorter length of hospital stay (P=0.029) and reported significantly higher levels of satisfaction with services received (P

Citation

Fisher, R. J., Cobley, C., Potgieter, I., Moody, A., Nouri, F., Gaynor, C., …Walker, M. F. (2016). Is stroke early supported discharge still effective in practice? A prospective comparative study. Clinical Rehabilitation, 30(3), https://doi.org/10.1177/0269215515578697

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 28, 2015
• Publication Date: Mar 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: May 17, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: May 17, 2017
• Journal: Clinical Rehabilitation
• Print ISSN: 0269-2155
• Electronic ISSN: 1477-0873
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 30
• Issue: 3
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0269215515578697
• Keywords: Stroke rehabilitation, Early Supported Discharge, health services research, implementation, evidence based; practice
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/774296
• Publisher URL: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0269215515578697