This thesis describes the wide range of long-term consequences in stroke patients who received multidisciplinary rehabilitation.Over a third of them reported pain in the shoulder, arm, wrist or... Show moreThis thesis describes the wide range of long-term consequences in stroke patients who received multidisciplinary rehabilitation.Over a third of them reported pain in the shoulder, arm, wrist or hand. About the same percentage had low patient activation scores, which is a prerequisite for effective self-management to cope with the consequences of stroke. Almost half of patients who were working before the stroke managed to maintain paid employment for two and a half years. These patients were more satisfied with their participation than patients who did not return to work. Average independence in daily activities increased during rehabilitation. The Barthel Index was found to be more sensitive to measure change than the Utrecht Scale for Evaluation of Rehabilitation. Health-related quality of life increased on average from start of rehabilitation to one year afterwards. The average social costs in the first year were €63,045 for inpatients and €24,533 for outpatients. The burden of the nearest of stroke patients was investigated, which showed that a third of them experienced a high burden.In conclusion, the consequences of stroke can also remain present, worsen or develop in the long term and are present for the individual patient, their nearest and the healthcare system. Show less
Objectives: Visuospatial neglect (VSN) is a common cognitive disorder after stroke. The primary aim of this systematic review was to provide an overview of the impact of VSN in 3 aspects: (1)... Show moreObjectives: Visuospatial neglect (VSN) is a common cognitive disorder after stroke. The primary aim of this systematic review was to provide an overview of the impact of VSN in 3 aspects: (1) activities of daily living (ADL), (2) participation, and (3) caregiver burden. The second aim was to investigate the differences in studies focusing on populations with mean age < 65 versus >= 65 years.Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Emcare, PsychINFO, Academic Search Premier and CENTRAL were searched systematically. Quality was assessed with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.Results: Of the 115 included studies, 104 provided outcomes on ADL, 15 on participation (4 studies with mean age >= 65), and 2 on caregiver burden (1 study with mean age >= 65). Quality assessment yielded scores ranging from 0 to 100%. VSN had a negative impact on ADL (i.e., independence during ADL and performance in self-care, household tasks, reading, writing, walking, wheelchair navigation) and participation (i.e., driving, community mobility, orientation, work). The impact of VSN on fulfilling social roles was unclear. VSN had a negative effect on caregiver burden. We found no clear age-related differences.Conclusions and implications: VSN has a negative impact not only on patients' independence but particularly on the performance of ADL. Despite the far fewer studies of VSN as compared with ADL, VSN also seems to hamper participation and increase caregiver burden, but further research is needed. Because of the large impact, VSN should be systematically and carefully assessed during rehabilitation. A considerable number of different instruments were used to diagnose VSN. Diagnosing VSN at more than one level [function (i.e., pen-and-paper test), activities, and participation] is strongly recommended. Consensus is needed on how to assess VSN and its negative impact for research and rehabilitation practice. (C) 2019 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved. Show less
