Impact of Inpatient Stroke Rehabilitation on Caregivers' Perceived Readiness for Patient Discharge.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to assess the extent to which caregivers' perceived readiness for discharge improves after participating in a stroke inpatient rehabilitation program, as measured by their self-reported preparedness for transitioning patients to the community.

Design: This was a prospective study involving pre- and postsurveys of caregivers.

Methods: The Preparedness Assessment for the Transition Home After Stroke (PATH-s) survey instrument was administered to caregivers of patients following a stroke at admission and discharge from inpatient rehabilitation. The PATH-s final score is an average that ranges from 1 to 4. A higher average score indicates higher readiness for discharge.

Results: Twenty-five patient-caregiver dyads complete the study protocol representing a 42% survey response rate of consented participants for both the initial and discharge PATH-s surveys. The initial mean PATH-s was 2.86 ( SD = 0.434), and the discharge mean PATH-s was 3.25 ( SD = 0.436). The differences between these scores were significant ( Z = -4.280, p ≤ .0001), suggesting participation with inpatient rehabilitation following a stroke improved the caregivers' self-reported readiness for discharge.

Clinical relevance: It is important for rehabilitation nurses to be aware of the caregiver's self-reported readiness for discharge to address any issues identified to improve transition for discharge following a stroke.

Conclusion: Caregiver readiness for discharge is an important issue yet it may be an undervalued aspect of the care delivery system.