Rivermead mobility index can be used to predict length of stay for elderly persons, 5 days after stroke onset.

Background: Recovery after acute stroke is expected to continue for a long time but is most rapid during the first few days after onset. Because the cost of hospital care is rising constantly, there is increasing pressure from various administrative bodies to reduce the duration of hospital stay. To select the optimal level of care for elderly patients with stroke-related disability, it is important to be aware of adequate discharge destinations and to have reliable predictors for the length of institutional stay (LOS) (ie in hospital or nursing home).