Most US stroke survivors are not participating in poststroke outpatient rehabilitation, according to a CDC report.
Joint guidelines from American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association recommend poststroke rehabilitation, which has been shown to improve function, survival, reduce cardiovascular risk and to improve patients’ quality of life. However, just 31.2% of adults with a history of stroke report having participated in outpatient rehabilitation, according to data from the 2013 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey. The survey is conducted by telephone and includes 20 states and the District of Columbia.