Authors (including presenting author) :
Leung SN(1), Lam CF(1), Chan KK(1), Ching CY(1)
Affiliation :
(1)Work Rehab for Stroke Joint Specialty Group Task Group, Occupational Therapy Central Organizing Committee
Introduction :
Cerebrovascular accident is the top four leading cause of mortality in HK in 2018 and the prevalence of young stroke patients is increasing in trend. A Work Rehab Interview Template(WRIT) was developed to screen the work rehabilitation need of young stroke patients systematically
Objectives :
A multi-settings wide survey was conducted and aims to identify the actual demand of work rehabilitation needs of young stroke patients and provide foundation for service development
Methodology :
Patients who fulfill the recruitment criteria were screened by Occupational Therapists with the WRIT before discharge to community. Recruitment criteria were 1. Stroke case in stroke bed / unit, 2. In-patient status, 3. Age equal or lower than 65 years old, 4. With employment need and patient plan to return to work. The survey duration was 3 months period. The cases discharged from the period of 1Q 2018 to 3Q 2019 were recruited. Participation settings included PYNEH, QEH, UCH, CMC, TKOH, QMH, KH, HHH, TMH, TWH, PMH, TWEH and WTSH.
Result & Outcome :
The number of cases fulfilled the recruitment criteria of survey was 137 in acute hospital and 55 in convalescent hospital.
In the result of WRIT, 50 patients(36.5%) in acute hospital and 5 patients(9.1%) in convalescent hospital could consider return to work after medical assessment.
26 patients(19%) in acute hospital and 11 patients(20%) in convalescent hospital were referred for work rehabilitation program.
41 patients(29.9%) in acute hospital and 27 patients(49.1%) in convalescent hospital were referred for stroke rehabilitation program.
This survey revealed that high proportion of stroke cases; 48.9% in acute hospital and 69.1% in convalescent hospital; have problem in return to work and required further Occupational Therapy(OT) intervention. It is advised that all patients diagnosed with stroke should be referred to OT for early screening by WRIT so as to properly identify their work rehabilitation need and timely triage to specific rehabilitation service in the patient journey. Further enhancement of work rehab service in cognitive, perceptual, communication and psychosocial aspects is advised to maximize their readiness to return to work or re-settle new jobs.
