Turkish Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2006 , Vol 52 , Num 2

Stroke and Quality of Life

Berrin Gündüz 1 ,Funda Atamaz 2
1 İstanbul Fiziksel Tedavi Rehabilitasyon Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, Fiziksel Tıp ve Rehabilitasyon Kliniği, İstanbul, Türkiye
2 Ege Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Fiziksel Tıp ve Rehabilitasyon Anabilim Dalı, İzmir

Stroke is a major health problem affecting all aspects of an individual's life. Its long-term consequences resulting in neurological impairment and functional disability have a substantial impact on quality of life (QoL). Recently, in order to improve QoL in stroke patients, a multi-dimensional approach of perceived health status including physical, functional, psychological and social health has become popular. For this reason, the most commonly used measurements of stroke outcome and QoL assessment methods, multiple factors such as age, gender, depression and social support that are associated with QoL are reviewed according to the results of recent studies. Finally, as the main objective of rehabilitation is to improve QoL, comprehensive interventions in rehabilitation with new developments are discussed. 

Keywords : Quality of life, stroke, rehabilitation, outcome measurement