Trends in outpatient rehabilitation use for stroke survivors.

Background: Stroke survivors with residual disabling deficits who are medically stable may be recommended for acute rehabilitation or outpatient therapy, depending partly on the severity of their deficits. Here we sought to determine if the location at which patients needing rehabilitation post-stroke has shifted from inpatient to an outpatient setting.

Methods: For analysis, we used our Institutional Review Board-approved Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Database to study stroke survivors discharged to receive either inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation services between 2014 and 2019.