The level of responses on their present health condition of post-stroke patients in selected rehabilitation centers in Cebu City.

Objective: This study determined the level of responses of post-stroke patients on their present health condition in selected rehabilitation centers in Cebu City.

Design: This study utilized the descriptive design.

Setting: This study was conducted in selected rehabilitation centers in Cebu City, namely: Cebu Doctors' College Rehabilitation Center, Visayas Community Medical Center, Don Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, and San Nicolas Rehabilitation Center.

Subjects: Twenty adult post-stroke patients who were selected through purposive sampling were included in this study.

Procedures/Interventions: The researchers secured a permit from the Dean of Cebu Doctors' College of Rehabilitative Sciences. After it was approved, transmittal letters were given to the respective clinical instructors of the affiliated centers and hospitals. The researchers pre-tested the standardized interview schedule to five. (5) participants to find out items, which may not be applicable to the Philippine setting. The researchers assigned in their respective affiliation centers or hospitals disturbed the questionnaires to post-stroke patients who met the criteria. The researchers made themselves available for any clarifications during the administration of the questionnaires. The obtained data were collected, collated, tabulated, analyzed and interpreted.

Research Instruments: This study utilized a standardized interview schedule adopted from Gordon (1995). This consisted of twenty-three (23) scaled items.

Results: Most of the post-stroke patients were in the late adulthood (45%) male (65%), married (50%), right side of the body affected (60%) and had stroke less than one year (55%). In terms of the level or responses of post-stroke patient whether severe, slight or none; seventy-five percent (75%) of post-stroke patients had a slight reaction on their level or responses on their present health condition. item analysis of the patients' level of responses. Showed a severe level of response on loss of motor function of leg (1.60); a slight level of response on self-image (1.35), helplessness (1.30), indecision and social withdrawal (1.15), loss of motor function of arm and sense of punishment (1.10), worthlessness and hopelessness (1.05), mood and hypochondria sis (0.90), fatigability and crying (0.85), failure, agitation, and anxiety (0.80); and no level of response on awareness of stroke occurrence (0.70), concern about current medical condition(0.65), weight loss/gain(0.60), sleep disturbance (0.55), dissatisfaction (0.35), irritability (0.25), and self-harm (0.20).

Conclusion: The level of response of post-stroke patients on their present health condition was slight in terms of reaction. Further these categories ranked from 1st to 5th in the item analysis : motor function of the leg(severe); self image(slight);helplessness(slight);indecision(slight) and social withdrawal (slight). Then top five categories were counted higher on the level of responses were the following: loss of motor function of the leg, self image, helplessness, indecision, and social withdrawal.