Factors affecting poor attendance for outpatient physiotherapy by patients discharged from Mthatha General Hospital with a stroke

Abstract

Background: Stroke is a major cause of disability inthe world and its long term effects require adherence to physiotherapyprotocols for optimal rehabilitation. Clinical impression of data fromMthatha General Hospital (MGH) Physiotherapy Department revealedthat there was poor attendance of outpatient physiotherapy by strokepatients discharged from MGH and this had negative effects on outcomesand health care costs.Objective: To determine the extent and the socio-demographic reasonsfor poor attendance for outpatient physiotherapy by stroke patients.Methods: An observational descriptive study was conducted using arandomly selected sample of 103 stroke patients from a population of 139who attended physiotherapy in MGH in 2007. Structured interviews wereconducted and SPSS was used for data analysis.Results: The majority (86%) of patients did not attend physiotherapy until discharge from the Physiotherapy Department. Themajor reasons for poor attendance were lack of finances (95%), migration to other areas (36%), and living a long distance fromMGH (38%).Conclusion: Almost 9 out of 10 stroke patients fail to attend for outpatient physiotherapy because of lack of finances.Recommendation: Development of a Provincial Rehabilitation Policy with specific reference to decentralization of rehabilitationservices to address unavailability of physiotherapy services at clinics and health care centers which are proximal to the patients’residential areas is recommended.