Goal achievement in stroke outpatient rehabilitation

Introduction: Goal setting is widely used in stroke rehabilitation, and goal achievement may relate to patient and clinical characteristics. Rehabilitation goals can be set multiple times during rehabilitation; however, therapeutic goals are not often evaluated across sectors in a rehabilitation course. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether goals were achieved after rehabilitation in patients with strokes and to identify factors associated with goal achievement status. Materials and methods: Patients with stroke referred to municipal rehabilitation after hospitalisation were included in a cohort study. Rehabilitation therapists categorised goal achievement as achieved, partly achieved, not achieved, or not reported. Associations between patient/clinical characteristics and achievement status were analysed. Rehabilitation goals were grouped into 13 overall categories. Other outcomes were the 30-second Chair Stand Test (CST) and Berg Balance Scale (BBS). Stroke severity was assessed using the Scandinavian Stroke Scale and the Modified Rankin Scale. Results: 117 patients were included (mean age 72 years, 65% men). At the end of rehabilitation, 30.8% achieved their rehabilitation goals, 45.3% achieved them partly, 14.5% did not achieve goals, and 9.4% had unavailable data. Upper extremity function goals were more frequent in hospital settings than municipalities, whereas sport was more frequent in municipalities (p < 0.05). The two most frequent goals in municipalities were walking and activities of daily living. Failure to achieve the goals was associated with a lower CST score at rehabilitation completion (p < 0.05). Higher baseline BBS scores were associated with goal achievement. Conclusion: Only one-third of patients achieved their rehabilitation goals in municipal programmes. The most frequent goals targeted physical function.