Evaluation of Health-Related Quality of Life Associated with Provision of Healthcare to Stroke Patients Living at Home in Japan

Objective: As stroke mortality rates decline in Japan, a large proportion of disabled stroke survivors living in their homes are supported by informal caregivers or formal healthcare services. To evaluate the impact of healthcare provision on outcome of stroke patients living at home, this study investigated the associations of long-term care and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients 1 year after stroke onset. Methods: Data on patient and caregiver characteristics, HRQOL of patients, and healthcare services for those living at home were prospectively collected from 426 patients with stroke at baseline and 12 months. Using general measures of HRQOL, namely, Short Form-36 (SF-36) and EuroQOL 5 dimension (EQ-5D), multivariate regression models were used to determine the contribution of variables to changes in HRQOL scores from discharge to the first year after stroke. Results: Five domains of SF-36—role-physical, vitality, social functioning, role- emotional, and mental health—were significantly improved 1 year after stroke. Factors affecting changes in the five domains of HRQOL were age, independence in activities of daily living, and cognitive function. Home care service was positively associated with role-physical, social functioning, and role-emotional. In addition, home rehabilitation and home bathing services were positively associated with social functioning. Conclusion: This study clarified that improvements of HRQOL 1 year after stroke were associated with use of home-based services involving home care service, home rehabilitation, and home bathing services. The use of home-based services contributed to the improved welfare of patients living at home.