Unilateral spatial neglect: relation to rehabilitation outcomes in patients with right hemisphere stroke

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relation between left unilateral spatial neglect (USN) and rehabilitation outcomes in patients with right hemisphere stroke. DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of a database of right hemisphere stroke patients. SETTING: Acute inpatient rehabilitation hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Patients (N=175) with a diagnosis of right hemisphere stroke who had undergone a neuropsychologic screening including assessment of USN and depressive symptoms at time of admission to an inpatient rehabilitation program. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Functional status was evaluated with the FIM instrument at admission and discharge. The relationship between USN, depressive symptoms, cognitive functioning, length of stay (LOS), and rate of progress in rehabilitation was examined via univariate (correlational) and multivariate (Cox regression) analyses. RESULTS: Patients with USN had longer LOS and progressed more slowly compared with those without USN. When matched against patients with equally poor functional status at admission, USN patients still had longer admissions and progressed more slowly. CONCLUSIONS: USN is a unique predictor of rehabilitation outcomes in patients with right hemisphere stroke. Identification of those specific functional skill areas most affected by USN may make possible the development of targeted interventions aimed at these key areas.     

Recovery of functional status after right hemisphere stroke: relationship with unilateral neglect

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate relationships between unilateral spatial neglect and both overall and cognitive-communicative functional outcomes in patients with right hemisphere stroke. DESIGN: Assessment of overall and cognitive-communicative function was conducted on admission to acute rehabilitation, at discharge, and at 3-month follow-up. SETTING: Urban, acute inpatient rehabilitation facility. PATIENTS: Fifty-two consecutive admissions of adult right-handed patients with a single, right hemispheric stroke, confirmed by computed tomography scan. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The FIM instrument and reading comprehension and written expression items of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago Functional Assessment Scale(R). RESULTS: Patients made significant functional gains between admission and discharge, and between discharge and follow-up on the FIM. Severity of neglect was correlated with total, motor, and cognitive FIM scores at admission, discharge, and follow-up. Subjects with neglect had significantly more days from onset to admission and a longer length of rehabilitation stay than subjects without neglect. FIM outcomes were significantly different for subject groups with more severe neglect. Both the presence of neglect and its severity were significantly related to functional outcomes for reading and writing. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with neglect show reduced overall and cognitive-communicative functional performance and outcome than patients without neglect. Further studies are needed to explore causal relationships between these factors.     

The role of unilateral spatial neglect in rehabilitation of right brain-damaged ischemic stroke patients: a matched comparison

OBJECTIVE: To assess the specific influence of unilateral spatial neglect (USN) on rehabilitation outcome. DESIGN: A case-control study in consecutive stroke inpatients. SETTING: Rehabilitation hospital. PATIENTS: One hundred seventy-eight patients with sequelae of first stroke, enrolled in homogeneous subgroups, matched for age (within 1yr) and onset admission interval (within 3d), and difference because of the presence of USN, evaluated by a specific neuropsychologic battery. INTERVENTIONS: All patients received physical rehabilitation: physiotherapy for 60 minutes twice a day (once on Saturday), 6 days a week, within 24 hours of admission. USN-positive (USN(+)) patients received specific treatment of 5, 1-hour sessions per week, for 8 consecutive weeks: (1) visual scanning, (2) reading and copying, (3) copying of line drawings on a dot matrix, and (4) describing a scene. Patients were assessed with neurologic (Canadian Neurological Scale), neuropsychiatric (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale), neuroradiologic, and functional (Barthel Index, Rivermead Mobility Index [RMI]) examinations. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Length of stay, efficiency (average daily increase in Barthel Index), effectiveness (amount of potential improvement achieved during rehabilitation) of treatment and percentage of low- and high-response patients calculated on the Barthel Index and the RMI, and percentage of urinary incontinence and return home were evaluated. Odds ratios (ORs) of dropouts and of low and high therapeutic response were also quantified. RESULTS: Compared with USN-negative patients, USN(+) patients had significantly more severe baseline neurologic and functional status at admission, less effectiveness and efficiency on activities of daily living (ADLs) and mobility, a higher percentage of low responders, longer hospitalization, a higher percentage of persistent incontinence at discharge (20.5% vs 4.9%), and a lower percentage of high responders and patients returning home. The presence of USN was incompatible with a high therapeutic response, for both ADLs (OR= 2.94, 95% confidence interval [CI]= 1.05-8.20; b +/- standard error = 1.08 +/- .52, p< .05), and mobility (OR = 7.16, 95% CI = 2.78-18.44; b = 1.97 +/- .52, p < .001) and was a relevant prognostic factor for institutional discharge (OR = 5.62, 95% CI = 1.63-19.38; b = 1.73 +/-.63, p < .01, accuracy 88.41%). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study provide further strong evidence of the relationship between USN and disability in right brain-damaged patients and of its unfavorable impact on rehabilitation, despite the cognitive training performed by all USN(+) patients.     

脑卒中后单侧空间忽略对偏瘫康复疗效的影响

目的:探讨脑卒中后单侧空间忽略的发生及其对偏瘫康复疗效的影响。方法:对住入本院的脑卒中偏瘫患者采用神经心理学方法进行评测,确定18例单侧空间忽略患者为观察组,将27例无忽略的右侧大脑半球病变致脑卒中偏瘫患者列为对照组,两组均予常规康复治疗,并在治疗前后进行简式Fugl-Meyer运动功能评定(FMA)、功能独立性评定(FIM)、简易精神状态检查(MMSE)。结果:观察组的MMSE评分在治疗后虽有提高(P<0.05),但其FMA、FIM评分无明显提高(P>0.05),治疗前后FMA、FIM、MMSE均明显低于对照组(P<0.05或P<0.01)。结论:单侧空间忽略的存在直接影响了脑卒中偏瘫康复疗效,常规康复治疗无助于提高日常生活活动能力。     

早期纠正干预对脑卒中后半侧空间忽略症的影响

目的探索早期康复治疗配合纠正干预对脑卒中伴半侧空间忽略(USN)患者康复疗效的影响。方法脑卒中伴USN患者34例,分为两组：对照组(17例)在生命体征稳定后进行常规康复治疗;治疗组(17例)在接受常规治疗同时进行USN早期康复干预纠正。结果治疗8周后治疗组的Barthel指数明显高于对照组(P<0.01),USN的改善程度显著优于对照组(P<0.001)。结论早期康复配合纠正干预可有效提高USN患者的ADL,改善USN程度。     

重复经颅磁刺激治疗脑卒中后单侧空间忽略的研究进展

单侧空间忽略(USN)是脑卒中后最常见的行为认知障碍之一,以右侧大脑半球病变常见,预示着功能恢复的不良结果,对患者的生活质量有很大的负面影响。目前尚未有标准化治疗USN的方法,临床常采用营养支持、药物治疗(如多巴胺、去甲肾上腺素能激动剂)、康复训练、棱镜适应、虚拟现实等进行治疗。随着重复经颅磁刺激(rTMS)的发展,其作为一种无创、无痛、不良反应少、操作简单的非侵入性脑刺激技术,越来越多地应用于USN的治疗中。本文对国内外有关rTMS治疗USN的研究做一综述,以期为临床治疗USN提供依据。     

The relationship between physical impairment and disability during stroke rehabilitation: effect of cognitive status

The objectives of this study were to assess the relationship between physical impairment and disability during stroke rehabilitation and to determine the effect of cognitive functions on physical impairment during rehabilitation. Prospectively collected data from stroke patients admitted for rehabilitation were compared at admission and at discharge by the Chedoke-McMaster Stroke Assessment (the Chedoke Assessment) impairment inventory and subscores of the Functional Independence Measure (FIM). The Chedoke Assessment was used to measure physical impairment in the lower extremities and the FIM was used to measure physical disability; motor and cognitive subscales of the FIM instrument were also evaluated. Although stroke-related impairment and motor FIM were significantly correlated with each other, cognitive measures on the FIM at discharge were not correlated with motor impairment, although cognitive disability was slightly improved. It is possible that dependency in physical activities of daily living and walking after stroke are mostly affected by degree of motor impairment.     

脑卒中偏瘫患者发生单侧空间忽略的临床研究

目的 观察单侧空间忽略(USN)对脑卒中偏瘫患者康复预后的影响。方法 选择脑卒中患者93例，均行常规康复治疗。其中USN患者43例，进行纠正USN的治疗者22例作为实验组，未进行纠正USN的治疗者21例作为观察组，无USN的50例患者作为对照组。3组均接受常规康复治疗，治疗前、后采用Banhel指数(BI)对患者进行日常生活活动(ADL)能力的评价。结果 3组患者康复治疗后BI均显著高于治疗前(P＜0．001)。治疗前，实验组和观察组BI均显著低于对照组(P＜0．05)；经康复治疗后，观察组患者BI显著低于实验组和对照组(P＜0．001)，实验组和对照组患者间差异无显著性意义(P＞0．05)。结论 USN影响偏瘫患者的生活自理能力的恢复，进行相应的纠正USN治疗可使USN患者的ADL能力提高。     

Stroke impairment predictors of discharge function, length of stay, and discharge destination in stroke rehabilitation

OBJECTIVES: This article presents analytic results from a prospective study of 313 stroke rehabilitation patients, looking at the relative contributions of different stroke impairments toward prediction of discharge function, rehabilitation length of stay, and discharge destination after inpatient rehabilitation. The relationship between number of stroke risk factors and recurrence of strokes during rehabilitation was also evaluated. METHODS: A total of 313 subjects were enrolled consecutively. Information on type of stroke and individual stroke-related impairment was collected prospectively. Recurrent stroke, rehabilitation length of stay, discharge destination, discharge function, and available family support at discharge were documented. RESULTS: Rates of impairment occurrence and coexistence are presented. Analysis using linear (length of stay, discharge function) and logistic (discharge destination) regression revealed significant contributory predictive effects of admission balance, aphasia, number of impairments, and family support on length of stay; admission balance and number of impairments on discharge function; and admission balance, body neglect, and presence of family support on discharge destination. CONCLUSION: In addition to admission function and balance, other factors to consider in predicting length of stay for patients should include the number of stroke-related impairments and family support. For discharge destination prediction, the presence of body neglect should be considered in addition to balance and family support. Evaluation of patients for right-sided neglect and left-sided neglect is important.     

Severity of unilateral spatial neglect is an independent predictor of functional outcome after acute inpatient rehabilitation in individuals with right hemispheric stroke

Di Monaco M, Schintu S, Dotta M, Barba S, Tappero R, Gindri P. Severity of unilateral spatial neglect is an independent predictor of functional outcome after acute inpatient rehabilitation in individuals with right hemispheric stroke.

Objective

To investigate the relationship between severity of unilateral spatial neglect (USN) and functional recovery in activities of daily living after a right-hemisphere stroke.

Design

Observational study.

Setting

Rehabilitation hospital in Italy.

Participants

We investigated 107 of 131 inpatients with right-hemisphere stroke who were consecutively admitted to our rehabilitation hospital.

Interventions

Not applicable.

Main Outcome Measures

To assess USN severity, conventional and nonconventional Behavioral Inattention Tests (BITs) were performed at admission to inpatient rehabilitation at a median of 19 days after stroke occurrence. FIM was performed both on admission to and discharge from inpatient rehabilitation to assess functional autonomy. FIM efficiency (improvement of FIM score per day of stay length) and FIM effectiveness (proportion of potential improvement achieved) were calculated.

Results

Fifty-four (50.5%) of the 107 patients were affected by USN. In these 54 patients, both conventional and nonconventional BIT scores were significantly correlated with FIM scores assessed at discharge from rehabilitation: ρ values were .385 (P=.004) and .396 (P=.003), respectively. After adjustment for 7 potential confounders, including FIM scores before rehabilitation, we found a significant positive association between either conventional or nonconventional BIT scores and FIM scores after rehabilitation (r=.276, P=.047 and r=.296, P=.033, respectively), FIM efficiency (r=.315, P=.022 and r=.307, P=.025, respectively), and FIM effectiveness (r=.371, P=.006 and r=.306, P=.026, respectively).

Conclusions

Data support the independent prognostic role of USN severity assessed at admission to inpatient rehabilitation after a right-hemisphere stroke. Models aimed at predicting the functional outcome in stroke survivors may benefit from inclusion of USN severity.     

The impact of the inpatient rehabilitation facility prospective payment system on stroke program outcomes

OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of the Medicare inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) prospective payment system (PPS) on outcomes in a stroke rehabilitation program. DESIGN: An analysis was performed on a database including 945 stroke patients admitted to an inpatient stroke rehabilitation program 5 yrs before implementation of the IRF PPS and 3.5 yrs after implementation. Patients were classified with regard to stroke location (left vs. right), level of cognitive impairment, presence/absence of unilateral neglect, and level of depressive symptomatology. Functional status was evaluated at time of admission and discharge by functional independence measure (FIM). Other outcome measures included length of stay (LOS) and discharge destination. The impact of IRF PPS on LOS, progress in rehabilitation, and discharge destination was examined via univariate analyses of covariance and logistic regression. RESULTS: Patients admitted after implementation of the IRF PPS had shorter LOS but made less progress, had lower functional levels at discharge, and had higher rates of institutional discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Although associated with decreased LOS, implementation of the IRF PPS was associated with decreased functional gains, lower discharge FIM levels, and higher rates of institutional discharge. Cost savings associated with the PPS must be considered in light of these untoward outcomes.     

早期康复护理对脑卒中单侧空间忽略的影响

目的 探讨早期康复护理对脑卒中后单侧空间忽略的改善率及对日常生活能力和运动功能恢复的改善作用.方法 采用随机对照研究的方法,将72名脑卒中后单侧空间忽略患者随机分为观察组和对照组,分别进行早期康复护理干预和常规护理,分析脑卒中单侧空间忽略的各项日常生活能力表现特点,并制定相应早期康复护理对策,分别于2周末、4周末进行Barther 指数和Fugl-Meyer评分,比较两组患者不同时间Barther指数和Fugl-Meyer评分差异性;比较两组在治疗4周末单侧空间忽略改善率.结果 2周末Fugl - Meyer评分观察组较对照组、入院有明显改善(P＜0.05),BI指数差异不明显(P＞0.05);4周末FuglMeyer评分及BI指数观察组较对照组、入院均有明显改善(P＜0.05).治疗4周末观察组的单侧空间忽略的改善较对照组有显著性差异(P＜0.05).结论 早期康复护理可减轻脑卒中后单侧空间忽略的症状,并可促进患者运动功能恢复及提高其日常生活能力.     

Awareness of disabilities in stroke rehabilitation--a clinical trial

Purpose : To investigate the frequency of unawareness of disabilities after stroke during the rehabilitation stage, the relationship of unawareness with neuroanatomical variables, and the impact of unawareness on functional outcomes.

Method : Sixty consecutive patients (36 with right, 24 with left hemisphere damage) admitted to rehabilitation hospital with a first, single, unilateral stroke were evaluated at admission, discharge and at 1-year post onset of stroke. Unawareness of disabilities was operationally defined as the discrepancy between therapist and patient's rating on the motor scale of the functional independence measure (FIM). Functional outcomes included FIM, instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) scale, activity card sort (ACS) and safety rating scale.

Results : Unawareness of disabilities was found in 44/60 patients at admission and 24/57 at discharge. There was no significant difference between the hemisphere groups in the frequency of unawareness at both times. Discharge unawareness in the right hemisphere group was significantly associated with lesions in the frontal and temporal lobes, and with lesion size. Unawareness in the left hemisphere damaged group was not associated with any neuroanatomical variables. A negative impact of unawareness at admission on functional outcomeswas not found, but it was found that unawareness at discharge was a negative predictor of activity level (ACS score) at follow up, after controlling for the severity of initial disability level.

Conclusions : Unawareness of disabilities is a significant issue in stroke rehabilitation. Unawareness that persists to discharge from rehabilitation correlates with neuroanatomical variables in right hemisphere damaged patients, and is a negative predictor for some rehabilitation outcomes at follow-up.     

Functional recovery following rehabilitation after hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke

OBJECTIVES: To quantify recovery after rehabilitation therapy and to identify factors that predicted functional outcome in survivors of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) compared with cerebral infarction. DESIGN: Retrospective study of consecutive ICH and cerebral infarction admissions to a rehabilitation hospital over a 4-year period. SETTING: Free-standing urban rehabilitation hospital. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1064 cases met the inclusion criteria (545 women, 519 men; 871 with cerebral infarction, 193 with ICH). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable.Main Outcome Measures: Functional status was measured using the FIM trade mark instrument, recorded at admission and discharge. Recovery was quantified by the change in FIM total score (DeltaFIM total score). Outcome measures were total discharge FIM score and DeltaFIM total score. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. RESULTS: Total admission FIM score was higher in patients with cerebral infarction than in patients with ICH (59 vs 51, P=.0001). No difference in total discharge FIM score was present. Patients with ICH made a significantly greater recovery than those with cerebral infarction (DeltaFIM total score, 28 vs 23.3; P=.002). On multivariate analysis, younger age, longer length of stay, and admission FIM cognitive subscore independently predicted total discharge FIM and DeltaFIM total score. The severity of disability at admission, indicated by total admission FIM score, independently predicted total discharge FIM score, but not DeltaFIM total score. The ICH patients with the most severely disabling strokes had significantly greater recovery than cerebral infarction patients with stroke of similar severity. CONCLUSIONS: The patients with ICH had greater functional impairment than the cerebral infarction patients at admission, but made greater gains. Patients with the most severely disabling ICH improved more than those with cerebral infarction of comparable severity. Initial severity of disability, age, and duration of therapy best predicted functional outcome after rehabilitation.     

The association between patients' cognitive status and rehabilitation outcome in a geriatric day hospital

PURPOSE: To assess whether and to what extent cognitive status affects functional gain in mobility and extended activities of daily living (ADL) in patients admitted to a geriatric day hospital. METHODS: During 2003, 135 older patients admitted to a rehabilitation day hospital were evaluated by the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Cognitive Functional Independence Measure (FIM). On admission and at discharge, they were assessed by the Nottingham Extended ADL Index (NEAI) and the Timed Get Up and Go test (TUG). RESULTS: Orthopedic and stroke patients achieved significant functional gain in mobility regardless of their cognitive status. Nevertheless, cognitively intact stroke patients achieved higher admission and discharge NEAI scores, manifesting greater absolute functional gain than cognitively impaired patients. The patients' ability to extract their rehabilitation potential was significantly better. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitively impaired patients can improve in mobility and performance of extended ADL during day hospital rehabilitation. Evaluation of the patients' cognitive status may enable the multidisciplinary team to develop suitable individual programs and better allocate resources. Cognitively intact stroke patients may benefit from extended rehabilitation treatment compared to impaired stroke patients as they are more capable of utilizing their potential to achieve independence in daily tasks.     

Functional outcome following thalamic haemorrhage: Relationship between motor and cognitive functions and ADL

Twenty-two patients with thalamic haemorrhage were examined to investigate the relationship between motor and cognitive function, and activities of daily living (ADL). Patients with unilateral spatial neglect had lower ADL scores on admission than patients without unilateral spatial neglect (Mean: 17.0 and 24.6, respectively; F= 4.38, df = 1, p < 0.05). Unilateral spatial neglect related to feeding, bowel control and transfer in Barthel index on admission. Patients with aphasia on admission had lower ADL at discharge than patients without aphasia on admission (Mean: 57.0 and 84.7, respectively; F= 7.70, df = 1, p ? 0.05). Aphasia related to the bathing, toilet, stair climbing, dressing, and ambulation in Barthel index on discharge. There was a significant difference between the severity of paresis in upper and lower limb on admission and ADL at discharge. The two-way repeated measures ANOVA showed a significant difference between severity of paresis in lower limb and ADL improvement. It can be suggested that the most important predictor of outcome was paresis in lower limb, and not aphasia or unilateral spatial neglect.     

重度半侧空间忽略症的临床分析(附5例临床病案分析)

目的研究重度半侧空间忽略症的临床表现、病变部位、可能机制，分析其康复疗效。方法分析5例合并重度半侧空间忽略症且不伴有偏盲的脑卒中患者康复治疗前后的临床检测数据。结果5例患者均合并明显的左侧空间忽略，均为右利手，康复治疗前后的半侧空间忽略检测差异有显著性意义（P〈0.05）。结论多项半侧空间忽略检测可了解残存视空间注意能力，其中Albent测验检出率最高；康复治疗对半侧空间忽略症有明确疗效。     

Factors predicting stroke disability at discharge: a study of 793 Chinese

OBJECTIVE: To identify factors predicting stroke disability at discharge in a Chinese population. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of data collected from stroke patients. SETTING: A 25-bed stroke rehabilitation unit in Hong Kong. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 793 Chinese patients with acute stroke consecutively admitted for inpatient rehabilitation. INTERVENTIONS: All patients received traditional rehabilitation therapies including physical, occupational, and speech therapies when appropriate. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Disability was measured with the Barthel index (BI), and mild disability at discharge was defined as a BI score of > or =15. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed. RESULTS: Logistic regression analysis revealed that a BI score of > or = 15 points at admission strongly predicted that the patient's BI at discharge would be > or =15. For those whose BI score at admission was less than 15, these factors correlated negatively with a discharge BI of 15: BI at admission of <5 (OR .08, CI .04-.17); National Institutes of Health stroke scale at admission of >7 (OR .23, CI .12-.43); urinary incontinence at admission (OR .35, CI .21-.60); age > or =65 years (OR .44, CI .25-.77); and abbreviated mental test at admission of <7 (OR .56, CI .33-.94). CONCLUSIONS: For Chinese stroke patients, the disability at admission is the most important predictor for disability at discharge. Patients with very severe disability, severe neurologic impairment, urinary incontinence, old age, and impaired cognition at admission are less likely to recover to mild disability at discharge. Although hemorrhagic stroke is more common among Chinese populations, it is not an independent predictor for disability at discharge.     

Prognostic factors of activity limitation and discharge destination after stroke rehabilitation

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify predictive variables related to activity limitation and home destination of a large sample of first-time stroke patients at discharge from a rehabilitation hospital. DESIGN: A multicenter observational study was conducted among 1023 first-time stroke patients who were admitted to 18 different Italian inpatient rehabilitation centers between February 1999 and November 2000. Only 997 patients were considered eligible. At admission, sociodemographic and clinical data were considered as independent variables. The outcome measures evaluated the ability to become functionally independent (independence gain [Barthel Index score > or =18]) at discharge and home return. RESULTS: The study data suggest that independence gain is associated with an earlier rehabilitation intervention, being male, and low or absent cognitive deficit. Home return is associated with no indwelling bladder catheterization, no dysphagia, and living with a companion (roommate or family member) before the stroke. CONCLUSIONS: In postacute stroke rehabilitation, level of cognitive impairment, bladder dysfunction and dysphagia, early diagnosis and treatment, early rehabilitation intervention, and living status (whether the person was residing with a companion before the stroke) are important criteria for outcome measurement at the time of admission. These previous characteristics will most certainly provide clinicians with useful information during the acute phase.     

The effect of poststroke cognitive impairment on rehabilitation process and functional outcome

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether cognitive impairment affects access to, or quality of, rehabilitation services, and to examine the effects of functional outcomes in stroke patients. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of prospective cohort of stroke patients followed for 6 months after stroke. SETTINGS: Eleven large-volume US Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals nationwide. PARTICIPANTS: Stroke patients (N=272) who were candidates for rehabilitation. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rehabilitation process variables were examined for patients assessed as cognitively impaired or unimpaired according to education-adjusted Mini-Mental State Examination score. Functional outcomes were performance of activities of daily living (ADLs), measured by the FonFIM, and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), measured by Lawton, at 6-month follow-up. RESULTS: Compliance with guidelines and receipt of and interval to postacute treatment initiation did not differ between cognitively impaired and unimpaired patients. Although most cognition-related treatment elements were similar for both groups, cognitive goals were more frequently charted in impaired patients. Controlling for baseline function and rehabilitation process, cognitively impaired patients had worse IADL performance at 6 months than did unimpaired patients; cognition did not significantly influence ADL performance. CONCLUSIONS: Quality of, and access to, rehabilitative care was equivalent for patients with and without cognitive impairment. Despite a similar rehabilitation process, cognitively impaired stroke patients experienced worse recovery of IADLs.