The predictive factors for length of stay for stroke patients in Taiwan using the path model

The aim of this study was to examine the predictive factors, and their relative strengths, for predicting length of rehabilitation stay using the path model. One hundred and seventeen stroke patients were recruited from two rehabilitation units in university-affiliated hospitals in northern Taiwan. The Taiwanese Rehabilitation Database System was used to collect the patient's relevant information. Path analysis was used to explore the relative strengths of each predictive factor. The results showed that the ability to engage in self-care activities was the only direct predictor, whereas subjective well-being and cognitive social skills had an indirect effect on the length of rehabilitation stay, mediating through cognitive-social skills and ability to engage in activities of daily living, respectively. The effect of subjective well-being, mediating through cognitive-social skills, on the length of stay was about 1.5 times that of the effects of ability to engage in self-care activities on length of stay. The results of the study confirmed that the ability of stroke patients to engage in self-care activities consistently had a major impact on the length of stay. The effect of subjective well-being of the patients on the rehabilitation outcome raised the issue of psychosocial rehabilitation as an important part of successful rehabilitation services.