Care Dependency of Post-stroke Patients and Its Affecting Factors

Kim, Inja

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study was aimed to identify the care dependency and its affecting factors of post-stroke patients.
METHODS
Cross-sectional and correlational descriptive study design was used. The subjects were 106 post-stroke patients who were in or out-patients in a rehabilitation clinic at D city. Demographic, stroke related and post-stroke status variables (paralysis, arthria, verbal expression, visual disturbance, activity intolerance, nutritional status, depression and cognition) were included as affecting factors. Multiple regression was used to identify the affecting factors. Among demographic and stroke-related variables, significant variables such as age, education level, marital status, financial status, location of treatment, and total admission days were entered with post-stroke status variables.
RESULTS
Care dependency was still high regardless of disease duration or type of stroke. Overall, approximately 80.5% of total variances in care dependency was explained with all variables. Among those variables, nutritional status, cognition and activity intolerance were the significant affecting factors.
CONCLUSION
To reduce the care dependency of post-stroke patients, it is recommended to improve nutritional status, cognition and activity intolerance.