Stroke rehabilitation

The devastating consequences of stroke make rehabilitation a substantial challenge. The benefits of stroke units are well established; the collaborative work of the multidisciplinary team may be one of the most important factors. The evidence for the efficacy of occupational therapy is conflicting and a meta-analysis of community occupational therapy trials is under way. Greater physiotherapy input is associated with a reduction in death and deterioration. One third of all surviving stroke patients require speech and language therapy but most receive less than 45 minutes per week. More rehabilitation research needs to be conducted. In the absence of scientific evidence, expert opinion still has an important part to play in the rehabilitation process.