Effectiveness of Client-Centered "Tune-Ups" on Community Reintegration, Mobility, and Quality of Life After Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Brenda Brouwer; Dianne Bryant; S Jayne Garland

doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2017.12.034

Effectiveness of Client-Centered "Tune-Ups" on Community Reintegration, Mobility, and Quality of Life After Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2018 Jul;99(7):1325-1332. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2017.12.034. Epub 2018 Apr 3.

Authors

Brenda Brouwer¹, Dianne Bryant², S Jayne Garland³

Affiliations

¹ School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: brouwerb@queensu.ca.
² School of Physical Therapy, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
³ School of Physical Therapy, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Physical Therapy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

PMID: 29412167
DOI: 10.1016/j.apmr.2017.12.034

Abstract

Objective: To explore the effectiveness of a 2-week client-centered rehabilitation intervention (tune-up) delivered 6 months after inpatient discharge on community reintegration at 1 year in people with stroke.

Design: A multicenter randomized controlled trial with 2 groups: an intervention ("tune-up") group and a control group having the same exposure to assessment.

Setting: Three research laboratories.

Participants: Participants (N=103) with hemiparetic stroke recruited from inpatient rehabilitation units at the time of discharge.

Interventions: Participants randomized to the tune-up group received 1-hour therapy sessions in their home 3times/wk for 2 weeks at 6 months postdischarge focusing on identified mobility-related goals. A second tune-up was provided at 12 months.

Main outcome measures: Community reintegration measured by the Subjective Index of Physical and Social Outcome at 12 months and secondary outcomes included the Berg Balance Scale and measures of mobility and health-related quality of life up to 15 months.

Results: At 12 months, both groups showed significant improvement in community reintegration (P<.05), a trend evident at all time points, with no difference between groups (mean difference, -0.5; 95% confidence interval, -1.8 to 2.7; P=.68). Similarly, a main effect of time reflected improvement in mobility-related and quality of life outcomes for both groups (P≤.0.5), but no group differences (P≥.30).

Conclusions: All participants in the tune-up group met or exceeded at least 1 mobility-related goal; however, the intervention did not differentially improve community reintegration. The improvements in mobility and quality of life over the 15-month postdischarge period may be secondary to high activity levels in both study groups and exposure to regular assessment.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00400712.

Keywords: Community reintegration; Intervention; Mobility limitation; Physical function; Rehabilitation; Treatment effectiveness.

Publication types

Multicenter Study
Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aged
Community Integration / psychology*
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Mobility Limitation
Patient Discharge
Person-Centered Psychotherapy / methods*
Quality of Life*
Stroke / physiopathology
Stroke / psychology*
Stroke Rehabilitation / methods*
Treatment Outcome

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT00400712