Is There Room for Improvement? Stroke Rehabilitation Environments May Not Reflect Home Environments in Terms of Chair, Toilet, and Bed Heights

The present study aims to describe the chair, bed, and toilet heights in rehabilitation hospitals and home environments to challenge rehabilitation clinicians to better prepare stroke survivors for discharge home. This study uses analysis of secondary outcomes from a multicentre, phase II randomized controlled trial (HOME Rehab trial) and additional observation of hospital environment. Data were collected from six rehabilitation hospitals and the homes of two hundred first-time stroke survivors who were aged >45 years. Chair, bed and toilet heights were measured; we measured 936 chairs and beds in hospital (17%) and home (83%) environments. Mean chair height at home was 47 cm (SD 6), which was 2 cm (95% CI, 0-4) lower than in the hospital ward and 5 cm (95% CI, 3-7) lower than in the hospital gym. Mean toilet height at home was 42 cm (SD 3), which was 3 cm (95% CI, 2-4) lower than in the hospital. Study findings suggest a disparity in heights between hospitals and home. Although clinicians may be aware of this disparity, they need to ensure that chair and bed heights within the hospital environment are progressively made lower to better prepare stroke survivors for discharge home.