Environmental Factors and Outcome in Hemineglect Syndrome

Records of 73 rehabilitation hospital inpatients with right-hemisphere stroke (including 28 with hemineglect) were reviewed to ascertain whether those with beds placed so the right (nonneglected) side of their bodies faced important items and events had better outcome than those with beds placed so the left (neglected) side of their bodies faced such items and events. Left-hemisphere stroke patients served as a comparison group. For both right- and left-hemisphere stroke patients, whether hemineglect was taken into account or not, bed placement had no effect on outcome.