Identifying factors that determine functional status of stroke patients using partial proportional odds model at Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital, Ethiopia

Abstract

In many clinical trials, patients who are followed up over time may typically measure repeatedly multiple outcomes. Ignoring such repeatedly measured outcome or biomarker and considering cross-sectional analyses can leads to biased estimates. In this context, we presented partial proportional odds model for longitudinal functional status measures among stroke patients at FHRH Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. We considered 400 patients who had stroke under the medical ward outpatient stroke who started treatment from September 2018 to August 2021 by a retrospective cohort study design. Among 400 stroke patients taken from the repository of FHRH, 188(47%) were females. The patients mean age and corresponding 95%CI was (58; 95%CI=55-58) at baseline. Among different candidates of demographic and clinical variables, age, diabetes, blood urea nitrogen, Glasgow coma scale, white blood cell count, and stroke complication were statistically significant predictors. the ordinal longitudinal modeling approach, provides wide-ranging information about the longitudinal pattern of the functional status. Furthermore, the results of the study can be used as a motivation for future scholars. since stroke is one of the most frequent diseases in Ethiopia as well as in the world, it needs more attention and study in a wider study area.