Investigating the effect of implementing a program based on transitional care model on the quality of life and the ability of doing activities of daily living among patients with stroke

BACKGROUND: Stroke is one of the major causes of disability among individuals. Transitional care of a stroke patient can contribute to sustaining and enhancing the quality of care. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of implementing a program based on the transitional care model on the quality of life and ability of doing daily activities among patients suffering from stroke. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This research was an interventional study performed on 80 patients with stroke referring to the hospitals affiliated with Isfahan University of medical sciences. For data collection, demographic, quality of life measurement following stroke, and Bartell index of daily activity measurement questionnaires were used at the beginning of the study and 10 weeks following discharge. The transitional care model was undertaken for the intervention group from the second day of hospitalization until 10 weeks postdischarge. The data were analyzed using SPSS software and statistical methods. RESULTS: The results indicated that the mean quality of life and ability of performing the activities changed significantly after the intervention between the two groups, with the mean changes of these scores becoming significant compared to the preintervention between the two groups (P < 0.05). In both groups, the mean value of these scores increased after the study compared to the baseline, though this increase was greater in the intervention group. CONCLUSION: Implementing the transitional care model could contribute to improving the quality of life and performing the daily activities among stroke patients.