What is it about?

We asked health professionals caring for people with stroke how they assessed patients rehabilitation needs. We then analysed what it is about patients and health systems that increase and decrease the likelihood that a patient's rehabilitation needs will be assessed.

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Why is it important?

The rehabilitation needs of every person with stroke should be assessed so we can work out what services (if any) can help that person recover function and resume their preferred activities. If there are not adequate rehabilitation services, assessments could measure how many people are missing out, and this information could be used to advocate for more services. Our research indicates many health professionals do not accurately assess the rehabilitation needs of people with severe stroke, who are unlikely to access a rehabilitation service.

Perspectives

This piece of work highlights the reasons why people with severe stroke and their families are often not provided with accurate information about the potential benefits of rehabilitation, and instead are provided with information about how well they fit (or do not fit) the available rehabilitation services. More work needs to be done to ensure that accurate information is provided to people affected by stroke, health administrators and policy makers to improve the likelihood that optimal rehabilitation can be organised

Dr Elizabeth A Lynch
University of Adelaide

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: A qualitative study using the Theoretical Domains Framework to investigate why patients were or were not assessed for rehabilitation after stroke, Clinical Rehabilitation, July 2016, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/0269215516658938.
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