PREVALENCE AND RELATED FACTORS TO PHYSICAL THERAPY REQUEST IN STROKE?S INPATIENTS

by Ribeiro, Flávia Britto

Subject: to determine the prevalence and factors associated to the request of physical therapy from hospitalized patients who are diagnosed with acute cerebrovascular disease.Material and methods: a cross-sectional study, hospital based of 369 male and female patients, at the age of 40 or older, diagnosed with acute cerebrovascular disease, at 3 general hospital and at the emergency hospital from July to December of 2003 in Pelotas ? RS. Biological and socio-demographic data was collected during hospitalization as well as the verification of the request for physical therapy. A bi-varieted analysis was carried out using53the chi-square test. Non-conditional logistic regression was used for the multivariate analyses using a hierarchical analyses model.Results: the request for physical therapy was done for 55 (15%) of the patients in the first three days after the stroke. For the whole sample (n=369) the strongest associated variables were lower family income, lower schooling, lower age, and degree of muscular strength, level of conscience and medical specialty. For the sample, which excludes the emergency hospital (n=218), the variables were degree of muscular strength, level of conscience and muscular tone.Conclusion: the under use of the physical therapy treatment was observed in the acute stage of the cerebrovascular disease. The patients who were poorer, younger, with a lower schooling level, with a four or higher degree of muscular strength and hospitalized by SUS showed a lower rate of physical therapy request.