Occupational therapy pre-discharge home visits for patients with a stroke (HOVIS): results of a feasibility randomized controlled trial

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Citation: A E R Drummond, P Whitehead, K Fellows, N Sprigg, C J Sampson, C Edwards, N B Lincoln (2013) Occupational therapy pre-discharge home visits for patients with a stroke (HOVIS): results of a feasibility randomized controlled trial. Clinical Rehabilitation (RSS)
DOI (original publisher): 10.1177/0269215512462145
Semantic Scholar (metadata): 10.1177/0269215512462145
Sci-Hub (fulltext): 10.1177/0269215512462145
Internet Archive Scholar (search for fulltext): Occupational therapy pre-discharge home visits for patients with a stroke (HOVIS): results of a feasibility randomized controlled trial
Wikidata (metadata): Q24101137
Download: http://cre.sagepub.com/content/27/5/387.full
Tagged: Health (RSS) stroke (RSS), occupational therapy (RSS), home visit (RSS), RCT (RSS)

Summary

People who return home from hospital after having a stroke might experience problems with the activities of daily living. For example, they may be at increased risk of falls. Because of this, many people admitted to stroke units in England have a home visit before discharge. A home visit allows a health professional to assess potential problems and offers patients the opportunity to practise techniques learnt in hospital. However, there is no evidence to support the use of home visits. This study reports on a randomised controlled trial of home visits compared with a hospital-based interview about the home setting. Home visits were carried out by an occupational therapist. For some people, staff considered a home visit to be 'essential'. The trial therefore included 126 people across three arms: i) those randomised to receive a home visit (n=47), ii) those randomised to receive a hospital interview (n=46) and iii) those not randomised and receiving a home visit (n=33). The study's main aim was to test the feasibility of a larger trial, but also reports on patient outcomes at one month follow-up and the costs of the intervention. 90% of people received the intended intervention and follow-up was good at 1 month. However, the study highlighted the need for strict protocol adherence. No significant differences were found in the outcome measures. The average cost of a home visit was £208. This study supports the need for a larger trial of home visits to justify their use in practice.