Efficacy of goal-directed rehabilitation on functional recovery in patients with cerebral infarction.

Both rehabilitation groups showed significant improvements across functional domains, but the goal-directed rehabilitation group achieved larger gains in activities of daily living as measured by the Barthel index.

• Barthel index improvement: +25.0 in the goal-directed group vs +18.0 in the conventional group (P < .001)
• 185 patients admitted for rehabilitation between January 2023 and December 2024 were included in the retrospective cohort study
• Outcomes were assessed at admission and discharge using standardized instruments
• The goal-directed rehabilitation framework was implemented in 2024, with the 2023 cohort serving as the conventional rehabilitation comparator

The goal-directed rehabilitation group achieved larger gains in motor function as measured by the Fugl-Meyer assessment compared to the conventional rehabilitation group.

• Fugl-Meyer assessment improvement: +16.0 in the goal-directed group vs +11.0 in the conventional group (P < .001)
• Staffing structure, therapist training background, rehabilitation intensity, and equipment conditions remained stable across the study period
• Both groups showed significant improvements in motor function

Improvements in balance, gait performance, communication, and swallowing were more pronounced in the goal-directed rehabilitation group.

• Outcomes assessed included Berg balance scale, walking distance, walking speed, communication ability, and bedside swallowing evaluation
• Both groups showed significant improvements across all functional domains assessed
• The goal-directed group demonstrated more pronounced improvements across these additional functional domains beyond ADLs and motor function

The study was a single-center retrospective cohort design with findings limited to short-term inpatient rehabilitation outcomes.

• The study enrolled 185 patients from a single center
• The retrospective design and single-center setting limit generalizability
• Findings reflect short-term inpatient rehabilitation outcomes only, with no long-term follow-up reported
• Authors note that 'prospective multicenter studies with longer follow-up are required to confirm these observations'

Integrating individualized, explicitly defined rehabilitation goals into multidisciplinary stroke rehabilitation may enhance short-term functional recovery in cerebral infarction patients.

• Apart from the goal-directed framework implementation, all other conditions including staffing, training, intensity, and equipment remained stable, providing some basis for attributing differences to the intervention
• The goal-directed rehabilitation program was described as a 'structured goal-directed rehabilitation framework'
• Rehabilitation was conducted in an inpatient recovery setting
• The study period spanned January 2023 to December 2024