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Post-stroke rehabilitation


S Whitehead
E Baalbergen

Abstract

This article offers insight into post-stroke rehabilitation. Stroke is a major public health issue with high mortality and morbidity rates, both nationally and internationally. Recent medical advances resulted in improvements in mortality rates, but the disabling longterm effects of stroke are still prevalent. Post-stroke rehabilitation improves patient outcomes by decreasing the chance of developing secondary complications and maximising the patient’s independence despite their impairments. Post-stroke rehabilitation is delivered by an interdisciplinary team experienced in the rehabilitation process. There are specific focus areas during this process, which ensure a holistic approach. Early discharge planning is essential and can help to ease the transition from inpatient rehabilitation to a patient’s home environment. Stroke recovery is heterogeneous and multilayered; therefore, it is difficult to accurately predict post-stroke outcomes, but the importance of early interventions and ongoing outpatient rehabilitation is stressed.


Journal Identifiers


eISSN: 2078-5135
print ISSN: 0256-9574