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How do stroke patients fare when discharged straight to their homes? A controlled study on the significance of hospital follow-up after one month
Ytterberg C, Anderson Malm S, Britton M
Scandinavian Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine 2000 Jun;32(2):93-96
clinical trial
2/10 [Eligibility criteria: Yes; Random allocation: No; Concealed allocation: No; Baseline comparability: Yes; Blind subjects: No; Blind therapists: No; Blind assessors: No; Adequate follow-up: Yes; Intention-to-treat analysis: No; Between-group comparisons: No; Point estimates and variability: No. Note: Eligibility criteria item does not contribute to total score] *This score has been confirmed*

In our experience, stroke patients discharged straight to their homes sometimes showed marked deterioration. We investigated whether this negative course of events could be prevented by means of follow-up visits entailing extensive testing and resultant measures one month after discharge. The patients in our study included a selection of mild cases with a short length of hospital stay. Forty-six patients returned to the stroke unit on a follow-up visit, and 49 patients made up the control group. The groups were compared after 3 months, by means of questionnaires. The results did not show any definite difference between the groups. However, after 3 months we detected depressions in 13 patients in the study group and in 11 patients in the control group, most of them untreated. The study points to a need for follow-up aimed specifically at detecting depression.

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