Quality of Life of Stroke Patients at 1 Year after Discharge from Inpatient Rehabilitation: A Multicenter Study

Abstract

Objective: To investigate quality of life (QoL) and its related factors 1-year after discharge from post-stroke inpatient rehabilitation.
Methods: This longitudinal study was performed among 9 rehabilitation centres. Quality of life of stroke patients was evaluated using the WHOQOL-BREF. Its scores ranged from 26-130, with a higher score representing better quality of life. The QoL scores at 1-year follow-up were compared with the scores at discharge.  Factors related to quality of life at 1-year after discharge were analysed using univariate and multiple linear regression.
Results: One hundred and ninety-seven patients were recruited, with a mean age of 62.3 years. The mean quality of life score at 1-year after discharge was significantly lower than the score at discharge. In multiple linear regression analysis, only 5 factors were associated with quality of life, including having a leisure activity, modified Barthel (Activity of Daily Living, ADL) Index (mBI) at follow-up period, need caregiver, anxiety score, and depression score with the regression coefficient (b) of 6.29 (95%CI: 2.23, 10.35), 0.63 (95%CI: 0.07, 1.20), -7.72 (95%CI: -12.04, -3.40), -0.78 (95%CI: -1.40, -0.17), and -1.14 (95% CI: -1.72, -0.57) respectively.
Conclusion: At one year after discharge from inpatient rehabilitation, patients with stroke had poorer quality of life. Factors related to poor quality of life included no leisure activity, and need for caregiver, low functional scores at follow-up, anxiety and depression. Strategies to prevent these factors could enhance QoL of stroke patients.