Objective

A major aim of hospitalization programs in physical and rehabilitation medicine (PRM) department is to obtain long term adherence to exercise into daily life for maintaining the effects. The prevention of most chronical diseases is made by physical activities, education, food balance and drugs. We describe the follow-up of chronically ill patients after hospital discharge during 1 year.

Material/patients and methods

It is a descriptive study of patients rehabilitated in tertiary PRM hospital department for chronical diseases from 2013 to 2015 who kept a physical activity through a regional health sport system after hospital discharge. The 6 minutes walk test, 45 s chair-stand test, fingertip-floor distance, Ricci and Gagnon’s questionnaires were collected at the beginning and after 1 year. We followed-up 15 patients mostly in Reims. The average age was 49.8 ± 11.5 years (min 23, max 65), 27% of men. The chronical diseases were: multiple sclerosis ( n = 4), neuropathy ( n = 2), polyradiculonevritis ( n = 2), spinal cord injury ( n = 2), polyarthritis ( n = 1), Ehlers-Danlos syndrome ( n = 1), chronic obstructive bronchopneumopathy ( n = 1), chronic back pain ( n = 1), head injury with hemiparesis ( n = 1).

Results

The initial and final 6 mintutes walk tests are respectively 441 ± 109 and 466 ± 117 meters ( P = 0.09), the 45 s chair-stand tests 18 ± 3.5 and 20 ± 5.3 repetitions ( P = 0.05), the fingertip-floor tests 3 ± 11 and 1 ± 10 cm ( P = 0.005), the Ricci and Gagnon questionnaires 23 ± 4.45 and 31 ± 5.13 ( P = 0.009).

Discussion–conclusion

The physical capacities improved by rehabilitation programs can be maintained with adapted physical activities in regional sport network systems. The coordination of these networks, the formation of sport teachers, the risk management measures made by physiatrists must be considered. Moreover, there is a social interest in addition to physical improvement.