Functional independence measure evaluation in individuals with stroke disability

Abstract

Introduction: The stroke is characterized by a lesion that strikes one of the vessels that irrigates the cerebral region. People who have suffered a stroke present functional loss, showing difficulties in locomotion and self-care. Objective: To evaluate the functional independence mesure of individuals with stroke’s sequalae during the realization of their routinal activities, submitted to physical therapy in a hospital phase (considered acute phase) and in an outpatient phase (considered chronic phase). Materials and Methods: In the period between March 2007 and May 2008, 26 patients have been evaluated, 12 in the hospitalar phase and 14 in the outpatient phase, with ages between 44 and 80. Patients were from both genders and presented sequalae of stroke. The data was collected using the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) instrument. Results: On the hospitalar group, a significant difference has been noticed between the initial score and the final score (p=0,011). The items “self-care”, “locomotion” and “communication” were the ones that presented the highest evolution. On the outpatient group, there were no significant differences between scores of both evaluations (p>0,10). Conclusions: In the hospitalar phase, patients who have suffered a stroke presented a faster recovery in the first weeks. On the other hand, those patients in the outpatient phase have remained stable.