A nationwide survey for the provision of acute stroke rehabilitation in Japan: initial dose and weekend/holiday rehabilitation

Objectives: The early initiation of acute stroke rehabilitation with a sufficient dose, including at weekends/holidays, is important to improve functional outcome. We investigated the status of acute stroke rehabilitation in Japan by using a nationwide survey.Materials and Methods: Facility features, rehabilitation dose provided in the first week in each stroke subtype, and weekend/holiday rehabilitation were investigated by using the results of a web-based survey among primary stroke centers. The relationships between facility features and weekend/holiday rehabilitation were also analyzed.Results: A total of 639 stroke centers (66.6%) completed the questionnaire. The overall median dose was 2.0 (interquartile range, 1.7-3.0) U/day (1U = 20 min). After 7 days, the overall median dose increased to 4.0 (2.0-5.4) U/day. Almost 50% of facilities replied that they could not provide a sufficient dose of rehabilitation; the main reason was a lack of therapists (31%). For rehabilitation on long weekends, no rehabilitation was provided on 3-day weekends in 19% of facilities, and in 5% of facilities on >= 4-day weekends. The mean number of therapists was almost 50% less in the facilities that provided no rehabilitation on 3-day weekends compared to those that provided daily rehabilitation (19.4 vs. 36.2 therapists, respectively, p < 0.001).Conclusions: In this survey, the provision of acute stroke rehabilitation, including non-working days, was clarified. According to the results, prospective interventional or observational studies are needed to design more effective rehabilitation programs to improve outcome. In particular, it is important to determine the optimal dose and intensity of acute stroke rehabilitation.