Feasibility of an acute stroke home care service for elderly patients

Since 1985, a home hospitalization service (HHS) has been operating in Turin. HHS allows to perform diagnostic and therapeutic interventions which are usually made in hospital, also at home. HHS has started a stroke care project since the beginning. This study was designed to assess the feasibility of home care for elderly patients, aged over 65 years, after an acute stroke and to identify the benefits of this care setting. The study was conducted on 40 randomized patients with ischemic stroke, admitted to the emergency department of our hospital; 20 of them were managed at home by HHS, and 20 in a general medical ward (GMW). Both groups were examined using the same protocol and received the same medical and rehabilitation therapy. Mortality and length of stay was not significantly different in either of the two care settings. Compared with the CMW patients, HHS patients presented a significant improvement of functional status assessed by functional independence measure (FIM).