Participation in the community after the rehabilitation: multi-center study in Argentina

Abstract

Introduction: Participation is the dynamic and complex interaction between the individual's health condition, bodily functions, activities that can be carried out and environmental factors. Measuring it helps to understand the impact of disability. Describe the activities and participation in subjects with neurological pathologies, discharged from hospitalization for rehabilitation. Secondly, to compare the clinical-demographic characteristics and the participation among wheelchair users with respect to non-users. Observational, prospective, cross-sectional, multicenter study. Based on a survey of people over 18 years of age with pathologies of neurological origin discharged from rehabilitation from 6 centers in Argentina. 282 people responded, 69% men with an average age of 50 years and discharged 22 months ago. The most common diagnosis was cerebrovascular accident. The self-perception of participation was 49 out of 90, and those who do not use a wheelchair report a higher level of participation. The greatest satisfaction was in areas of interpersonal relationships. 50% require assistance to use transportation in the community. 61% neither work nor study, nor do they engage in sports activities (65%). 61% of wheelchair users cannot go to places in the community because they are inaccessible. Less participation in community activities was observed, mainly due to architectural barriers and difficulties in using transport in wheelchair users. The family occupies a central place so that they can integrate into the community.