Local hospital to use German standard for stroke rehabilitation
Shanghai International Medical Center announced it will team up with Consanas Rehabilitation to introduce German-standard stroke rehabilitation, carry out multi-department consultation and treatment, and offer high-quality rehab services for stroke patients.
Stroke is the top killer and leading cause of disability in China. There are 2.4 million new patients who suffer from a stroke here every year. Of stroke survivors, 75 percent lose the ability to work in varying degrees, while 40 percent suffer serious disability.
Early rehabilitation can effectively drop the mortality rate of stroke patients, reduce the possibility of disability, help patients return to normal life, and even go back to work. In Germany, about half of all stroke patients can return to work thanks to rehabilitation.
“Stroke rehabilitation started late in China — only 11.5 percent of Chinese stroke patients receive rehabilitation while the percentage is 67 in the United States,” said Dr Guan Yangtai of Renji Hospital.
“A lack of rehabilitation resources and poor awareness of patients and their families are the major reasons," he adds. "Moreover, the concept of stroke rehabilitation in China also lags, such as a lack of individualized rehab and too much focus on massage therapy and movement rehabilitation.”
The German-standard of rehabilitation is an individualized therapy focusing on the recovery of normal life abilities, which includes movement, language, swallowing, cognitive disorder and pain.
Officials from Shanghai International Medical Center said the newly established stroke rehabilitation center will have a team consisting of doctors, nurses, physical therapists, language therapists, nutritionists, psychologists and social workers to provide rehab in line with international standards, boosting stroke patients’ recovery.