Effect of 5E rehabilitation management model on physical and psychological health of elderly patients with cerebral infarction: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND

Disability resulting from cerebral infarction (CI) persists throughout the lives of elderly survivors, severely impairing both their physical and mental health and diminishing their quality of life. However, current interventions have shown limited effectiveness in improving the quality of life of stroke patients, and the impact of the 5E rehabilitation management model on their physical and mental health remains unclear.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to apply the 5E rehabilitation management model to elderly patients with CI and evaluate its physical and mental impact on patients.

METHODS

A total of 84 elderly patients with CI who were hospitalized at The First Affilicated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University were selected as the research subjects and randomly divided into an intervention group and a control group, with 42 patients in each. The 5E rehabilitation management model was applied to the intervention group (n = 42) as an early rehabilitation programme for elderly patients with CI. Routine nursing was employed for the control group (n = 42). Before the intervention, 1 month and 2 months after the intervention, patients in both groups were evaluated using the Manual muscle strength examination grading, the Brunnstrom motor function evaluation, the Modified Barthel Index, the PHQ-9, and the GAD-7. This study adhered to the CONSORT 2010 guidelines.

RESULTS

During follow-up, the 5E intervention group showed significantly greater improvement than the control group in muscle strength (upper limb: 3.79 ± 0.42 vs. 3.02 ± 0.64 at 2 months, p < 0.001), motor function, daily living ability (MBI: 71.45 ± 10.31 vs. 59.57 ± 9.91, p < 0.001), and reduced anxiety (7.38 ± 1.53 vs. 9.52 ± 2.51, p < 0.001) and depression (6.76 ± 1.21 vs. 8.90 ± 2.32, p < 0.001), with the effects being more pronounced at the 2-month follow-up.

CONCLUSION

The 5E rehabilitation management model significantly improves muscle strength, motor function, daily living ability, and psychological health in elderly patients with CI, with effects becoming more pronounced over time. Multi-center studies with longer follow-up are warranted to confirm long-term efficacy.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2300070052). Recruitment: January to September 2022. [Registration date 2023/3/21. (Retrospectively registered)].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12912-026-04671-3.