Are stroke patients discharged sooner if in-patient rehabilitation services are provided seven v six days per week?

Abstract

A comparison was made of 113 consecutive patients who suffered a cerebrovascular accident and were hospitalized at a rehabilitation inpatient unit by dividing them into two groups: one group received the traditional 6-day/wk treatment regimen, and another group received treatment during the entire week (7 days/wk). When the patients were asked whether they had a preference (which did not affect their group assignment), 82% preferred a 6-day/wk program and 18% preferred a 7-day/wk program. The length of inpatient stay for the 57 patients enrolled in the 6-day/wk program was 20.14 days; for the 56 patients enrolled in the 7-day/wk program, the average length of stay was 20.11 days. This represents no significant difference. The functional recoveries were evaluated in areas that can affect length of stay, including dressing, bladder control, ambulation, and problem-solving. Both groups demonstrated significant gains in each domain when the intake and discharge ratings were compared. However, these gains were not significantly different when the 6- and 7-day/wk groups were compared. The results of the study contained herein, therefore, suggest that a 6-day/wk program for patients who have suffered a cardiovascular accident is just as effective as a 7-day/wk program.