Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Home-Based Rehabilitation on Improving Physical Function Among Home-Dwelling Patients With a Stroke

Objective: To evaluate the effects of home-based rehabilitation on improving physical function in home-dwelling patients after a stroke. Data Sources: Various electronic databases, including PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and 2 Chinese data sets (ie, Chinese Electronic Periodical Services and China Knowledge Resource Integrated) were searched for studies published before March 20, 2019. Study Selection: Randomized controlled trials conducted to examine the effect of home-based rehabilitation on improving physical function in home-dwelling patients with a stroke and published in English or Chinese were included. In total, 49 articles in English (n=23) and Chinese (n=26) met the inclusion criteria. Data Extraction: Data related to patient characteristics, study characteristics, intervention details, and outcomes were extracted by 2 independent reviewers. Data Synthesis: A random-effects model with a sensitivity analysis showed that home-based rehabilitation exerted moderate improvements on physical function in home-dwelling patients with a stroke (g=0.58; 95% CI, 0.45∼0.70). Moderator analyses revealed that those patients with stroke of a younger age, of male sex, with a first-ever stroke episode, in the acute stage, and receiving rehabilitation training from their caregiver showed greater improvements in physical function. Conclusions: Home rehabilitation can improve functional outcome in survivors of stroke and should be considered appropriate during discharge planning if continuation care is required.