Factors predicting clinically significant functional gain and discharge to home in stroke in-patients after rehabilitation - A retrospective cohort study.

Objective: This study explored factors which predict stroke survivors who could achieve "clinically significant functional gain" and return home when being discharged from a local hospital after in-patient stroke rehabilitation programme.

Methods: This study included 562 inpatients with stroke who were residing at community dwellings before onset of stroke, and transferred to a convalescent hospital for rehabilitation from four acute hospitals over one year. The main outcome variables of prediction were (a) achieving "clinically significant functional gain" as measured by (a1) achievement of "minimal clinically important difference" (MCID) of improvement in Functional Independence Measure Motor Measure (FIM-MM)", (a2) one or more level(s) of improvement in function group according to the patients' FIM-MM, and (b) discharge to home.

Prevalence of visual problems among stroke survivors in Hong Kong Chinese.

Background: Stroke, a common cerebrovascular accident, usually results in various extents of functional disability. Extensive studies have shown that ocular and visual problems are common in patients with stroke. Unfortunately, current stroke rehabilitation programs rarely address stroke-related ocular and visual problems in Hong Kong.