• Jennifer H White, Megan K Alston, Jodie L Marquez, Anne L Sweetapple, Michael R Pollack, John Attia, Christopher R Levi, Jonathan Sturm, and Scott Whyte.
• Hunter Stroke Service, Rankin Park Centre, John Hunter Hospital, Hunter New England Area Health Service, and Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. jennifer.white@hnehealth.nsw.gov.au
• Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2007 Sep 1; 88 (9): 1140-6.

ObjectiveTo compare function and quality of life in community-dwelling stroke survivors at 1, 3, and 5 years after stroke.DesignA community-based, cross-sectional study of 3 retrospective cohorts.SettingCommunity-dwelling stroke survivors in Australia.ParticipantsThe 3 cohorts comprised 30 participants each at 1, 3, and 5 years poststroke discharge from a tertiary referral hospital.InterventionsNot applicable.Main Outcome MeasuresStroke severity, comorbidity, medications used, and demographic information were recorded. Poststroke function was assessed using the Modified Rankin Scale, Mini-Mental State Examination, Stroke Impact Scale, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support.ResultsThis cross-sectional study provides insights into trends in stroke survivors over time. A high proportion of stroke survivors use community services, even those who are independent with activities of daily living. Although there was little attrition in medication use over time except for warfarin, this was from a baseline of suboptimal compliance and adherence with stroke preventive therapies. Stroke survivors report high levels of perceived social support; however, emotional well-being was low overall. The data suggest that those who are independent at 1 year tend to remain independent, although this was an extrapolation from serial cross-sections and needs to be explored in a longitudinal study.ConclusionsStroke survivors' function does not change significantly over time. A high proportion of survivors require community services. The development of needs-related effective long-term service delivery models is required.

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