Introduction
Within the UK, approximately two-thirds of all stroke survivors are left with some form of long-term disability
1
Stroke therapy, compromising physiotherapy, occupational therapy,
speech therapy, and psychology are key to both patient recovery and
their long-term quality of life.
2
There is substantial evidence that stroke therapy is effective when
provided intensively, thus the National Clinical Guideline for Stroke
recommend that
People with stroke should
accumulate at least 45 minutes of each appropriate therapy every day, at
a frequency that enables them to meet their rehabilitation goals, and
for as long as they are willing and capable of participating and showing
measurable benefit from treatment.
This amount of therapy is rarely achieved, however,
3 which is a major cause of service users’ dissatisfaction with stroke services.
4
It has also been attributed to poorer outcomes in the United Kingdom
compared to other European countries which provide more therapy even
when confounding variables (such as stroke severity) were controlled.
5
Recent research has indicated that although staffing levels may play a
part in the amount of therapy provided, organization is also an
important factor.
6
Our aim was therefore to investigate the variation in the amount of
stroke therapy during inpatient stroke care provided using data from
Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP)
3 to identify the factors associated with the amount of therapy delivered.
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