Subacute Stroke Rehabilitation System and Outcome
  Subacute Stroke Rehabilitation in Korea…Won-Seok KIM, Nam-Jong PAIK 410

Cancer Rehabilitation： Research, Training, and Practice
  Current Status of Cancer Rehabilitation in Japan and Challenge…Tetsuya TSUJI 414

Current Status of the System for Specialists in Rehabilitation Medicine and Challenges：An International Comparative Approach
  Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency Training and Certification in the United States…William L BOCKENEK 419
  Woman Doctors as Specialists in Rehabilitation Medicine : Present and Future…Toyoko ASAMI 423

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Objective : To investigate how rehabilitation outcomes improved after the rehabilitation plan was changed. Subjects : 54 patients that were admitted to a kaifukuki rehabilitation ward in a regional hospital from January 2007 to June 2007 and 679 patients that admitted from January 2008 to June 2011. Methods : We changed the rehabilitation plan as follows to improve rehabilitation outcomes. Physiatrists estimated the rehabilitation goal and the length of hospital stay (LOS) at the first examination. All patients had intensive rehabilitation with standing up exercises and ADL training toward the goal. LOS, Functional Independence Measure (FIM) gain, FIM efficiency and the percentage of patients discharged home during 6 months before the change were compared with those during the same period after the change. In stroke patients, hip fracture patients and deconditioned patients, the same comparison was performed. Results : In the 4 years after the change was initiated, LOS was reduced significantly from 96.5 days to 29.2 days (p<0.001). The change of FIM gain was not significant, but FIM efficiency increased significantly from 0.22 to 0.91 (p<0.001). The percentage of patients discharged home also increased significantly from 85.2% to 99.1% (p<0.001). Also in stroke patients and hip fracture patients, LOS was reduced and FIM efficiency was increased significantly. The sample of deconditioned patients was small, but their LOS was reduced significantly. Conclusion : The changed rehabilitation plan reduced LOS, increased FIM efficiency and enabled most patients to discharge home.

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Objective : We analyzed changes in the affected side motor function according to the region and severity of motor paralysis in patients during convalescent rehabilitation. Methods : The subjects recruited were 1,903 hemiplegic patients with primary stroke from a supratentorial unilateral lesion, for which a full-time integrated treatment (FIT) program was implemented. We excluded patients with severe complications, those in whom the stroke recurred or its condition rapidly changed during hospitalization, and those in whom the duration from the onset to admission to our hospital was 61 days or longer. The remaining 1,634 patients served as the study subjects, from among whom we chose 917 patients who had been hospitalized for 8 weeks or longer. The affected side motor function was assessed using 5 motor items of the Stroke Impairment Assessment Set (SIAS) every 2 weeks starting from admission. Results and Conclusion : The affected side motor function significantly improved from admission to a convalescent rehabilitation ward through to week 8 in stroke patients, who were actively engaged in daily routines and had mainly walking and ADL exercise. In addition, improvement was more likely to occur for the lower-limb compared to upper-limb, as well as for the proximal compared to distal motor function. This tendency was more marked for more severe cases of paralyses.

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Bed rest for pregnant women recovering from threatened abortion and premature labor to prevent abortion can cause deconditioning syndrome, but it is not clear what kind of physical exercise should be provided for these patients. To better provide appropriate rehabilitation for threatened abortion and premature labor patients, we investigated patient clinical records retrospectively. In 11 patients who were provided rehabilitation within the past three years, eight delivered during hospitalization and three became independent in ADLs and were discharged while still pregnant. All patients who delivered during their hospitalization became independent in ADLs immediately after delivery, and as a result, the maternal prognosis was good. Choosing an appropriate rehabilitation approach for patients with threatened premature labor may help alleviate their deconditioning during pregnancy without any adverse impact.

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