Disability Status and Its Influencing Factors Among Stroke Patients in Northeast China: A 3-Year Follow-Up Study

Yumei Lv,1 Qiuxue Sun,1 Juan Li,2 Wenyue Zhang,3 Yudi He,1 Yuqiu Zhou1 1School of Nursing, Harbin Medical University (Daqing), Daqing, Heilongjiang Province, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pneumology, Qingdao Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Qingdao, Shangdong Province, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Rehabilitation, People’s Hospital of Daqing, Daqing, Heilongjiang Province, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yuqiu ZhouSchool of Nursing, Harbin Medical University (Daqing), No. 39 Xinyang Road, Longfeng District, Daqing, 163319, Heilongjiang Province, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail hlxzyq@126.comPurpose: To explore the rate of post-stroke disability and its associated factors in the third year following discharge from inpatient rehabilitation in Northeast China.Design: A prospective cohort study.Methods: A total of 522 persons who were hospitalized with a diagnosis of stroke were recruited consecutively between April 2015 and December 2015 and followed for 3 years. The primary outcome was disability, which was assessed using the Modified Barthel Index (MBI), a cutoff score of ≤ 95 indicates disability. Plausible risk factors of disability were selected from available variables to perform multivariate logistic regression analysis.Findings: The proportion of post-stroke patients with disability decreased from 63.8% to 46.7% at 3-year follow-up. The factors associated with post-stroke disability were age, neurological deficits, cognitive function, depression, and social support.Conclusions/Clinical Relevance: Disability continues to be a significant issue for individuals after a stroke, and community health workers should perform targeted assessments and interventions to decrease disability, and pay special attention to individuals who are at greatest risk of post-stroke disability.Keywords: stroke, disability, influencing factor