Rehabilitation services received by stroke patients: the Auckland stroke study.

A study of the pattern of use of rehabilitation services by stroke survivors in the Auckland region (total population 829,545) found that in 1981-82 the majority of patients with functional motor deficit received, after early referral, a wide range of rehabilitation services. Patients with severe stroke, as measured by motor deficit, were more likely to be referred to rehabilitation services than patients with mild or moderate deficits; four-fifths of all patients with a persisting severe motor deficit were still receiving physiotherapy six months after the stroke. Up to one-third of patients who received rehabilitation did not find the service helpful. The proportion of patients receiving rehabilitation has probably improved since 1982 because of an increase in the number of therapists and a decrease in the number of new strokes each year. A formal evaluation of the quality, effectiveness and acceptability of the services provided to stroke patients should be an urgent priority.