Background: Deficit in cognitive function is the most serious of the stroke sequelae, delaying and frequently jeopardizing rehabilitation efforts. Post-stroke cognitive impairment is associated with impaired daily living activities, decreased capacity for independent living, and decreased functional performance. As a result, the purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and associated factors of cognitive impairment among stroke survivors at comprehensive specialized hospitals in Ethiopia's Amhara region by 2022.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed at an institution. During the study period, all stroke survivors who were treated at a selected comprehensive specialized hospital were included. Data was gathered by conducting structured questionnaire interviews with participants and reviewing medical charts with trained data collectors. The participants were chosen using a systematic random sampling technique. The Montreal cognitive assessment basic was used to assess cognitive impairment. Descriptive statistics, binary and multivariate logistic regression methods were used to analyze the data. The chi-square test was checked to interpret the possible differences in the categorical variables based on cognitive impairment. The Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test was used to assess the fitness of the model. Multicollinearity among the explanatory variables was checked using Variance Inflation Factor (VIF>10).  The AOR with a P value of 0.05 and a 95% CI was reported and variables were considered statistically significant.
Result: This study enrolled 422 stroke survivors. Overall, 58.3% of stroke survivors had cognitive impairment (95% CI 53.4%-63.0%). The study participants' age with AOR; 7.12(4.40- 11.45), being hypertensive with AOR;7.52(3.46-16.35), arriving at the hospital after 24 hours with AOR;4.33(1.49-12.05), less than three months after stroke with AOR;4.83(3.95-12.19), dominant hemisphere lesion with AOR;4.83(3.95-12.19) and being illiterate with AOR;5.26(4.43-18.64) were found significant factors.
Conclusion: Cognitive impairment was discovered to be relatively common among stroke survivors in this study. More than half of stroke survivors who attended comprehensive specialized hospitals during the study period were found to have cognitive impairment. Age, hypertension, arriving at the hospital after 24 hours, less than three months after stroke, dominant hemisphere lesion, and illiterate educational status were all significant factors in cognitive impairment.
Keywords:  Cognitive impairment, Prevalence, Stroke survivors, Ethiopia