ABSTRACT
We examined the effect of the liaison critical pathway for stroke among the inpatients in an acute hospital (AH) from 2007 to 2008. The average length of hospital stay in the AH was reduced by 5.7 days compared with 2006 by means of the critical pathway. Among 155 patients who had been transferred from the AH to a convalescent rehabilitation ward (CRW), 148 were discharged from the CRW. Ninety-seven patients returned home and 44 patients were transferred from the CRW to a nursing home type unit or an institution. One patient died in the CRW, six were returned to the AH. From among the clinical factors, that included sex, age, modified Rankin Scale (mRS), total, motor and cognitive scores of Functional independence measure (FIM) at discharge from the AH, total FIM scores and FIM gain at discharge from the CRW, mRS at discharge from the AH and total FIM scores at discharge from the CRW exerted an influence on outcome. Patients living with their spouses and / or children before the onset of stroke were more inclined to return home.