Home or Hospital for Stroke Rehabilitation? Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial

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Abstract
Background and Purpose—We wished to examine the effectiveness of an early hospital discharge and home-based rehabilitation scheme for patients with acute stroke. Methods—This was a randomized, controlled trial comparing early hospital discharge and home-based rehabilitation with usual inpatient rehabilitation and follow-up care. The trial was carried out in 2 affiliated teaching hospitals in Adelaide, South Australia. Participants were 86 patients with acute stroke (mean age, 75 years) who were admitted to hospital and required rehabilitation. Forty-two patients received early hospital discharge and home-based rehabilitation (median duration, 5 weeks), and 44 patients continued with conventional rehabilitation care after randomization. The primary end point was self-reported general health status (SF-36) at 6 months after randomization. A variety of secondary outcome measures were also assessed. Results—Overall, clinical outcomes for patients did not differ significantly between the groups at 6 months aft...