Sharon Wood-Dauphinee

The Stroke Canada Optimization of Rehabilitation by Evidence-Implementation Trial (SCORE-IT) showed that a facilitated knowledge translation (KT) approach to implementing a stroke rehabilitation guideline was more likely than passive strategies to improve functional walking capacity, but not gross manual dexterity, among patients in rehabilitation hospitals. This paper presents the results of a planned process evaluation designed to assess whether the type and number of recommended treatments implemented by stroke teams in each group would help to explain the results related to patient outcomes. As part of a cluster randomized trial, 20 rehabilitation units were stratified by language and allocated to a facilitated or passive KT intervention group. Sites in the facilitated group received the guideline with treatment protocols and funding for a part-time nurse and therapist facilitator who attended a 2-day training workshop and promoted guideline implementation for 16 months. Sites in the passive group received the guideline excluding treatment protocols. As part of a process evaluation, nurses, and occupational and physical therapists, blinded to study hypotheses, were asked to record their implementation of 18 recommended treatments targeting motor function, postural control and mobility using individualized patient checklists after treatment sessions for 2 weeks pre- and post-intervention. The percentage of patients receiving each treatment pre- and post-intervention and between groups was compared after adjusting for clustering and covariates in a random-effects logistic regression analysis. Data on treatment implementation from nine and eight sites in the facilitated and passive KT group, respectively, were available for analysis. The facilitated KT intervention was associated with improved implementation of sit-to-stand (p = 0.028) and walking (p = 0.043) training while the passive KT intervention was associated with improved implementation of standing balance training (p = 0.037), after adjusting for clustering at patient and provider levels and covariates. Despite multiple strategies and resources, the facilitated KT intervention was unsuccessful in improving integration of 18 treatments concurrently. The facilitated approach may not have adequately addressed barriers to integrating numerous treatments simultaneously and complex treatments that were unfamiliar to providers. Unique identifier- NCT00359593

The Stroke Canada Optimization of Rehabilitation by Evidence Implementation Trial (SCORE-IT) was a cluster randomized controlled trial that evaluated two knowledge translation (KT) interventions for the promotion of the uptake of best practice recommendations for interventions targeting upper and lower extremity function, postural control, and mobility. Twenty rehabilitation centers across Canada were randomly assigned to either the facilitated or passive KT intervention. The objective of the current study was to understand the factors influencing the implementation of the recommended treatments and KT interventions from the perspective of nurses, occupational therapists and physical therapists, and clinical managers following completion of the trial. A qualitative descriptive approach involving focus groups was used. Thematic analysis was used to understand the factors influencing the implementation of the recommended treatments and KT interventions. The Clinical Practice Guidelines Framework for Improvement guided the analysis. Thirty-three participants were interviewed from 11 of the 20 study sites (6 sites from the facilitated KT arm and 5 sites from the passive KT arm). The following factors influencing the implementation of the recommended treatments and KT interventions emerged: facilitation, agreement with the intervention – practical, familiarity with the recommended treatments, and environmental factors, including time and resources. Each of these themes includes the sub-themes of facilitator and/or barrier. Improved team communication and interdisciplinary collaboration emerged as an unintended outcome of the trial across both arms in addition to a facilitator to the implementation of the treatment recommendations. Facilitation was identified as a facilitator to implementation of the KT interventions in the passive KT intervention arm despite the lack of formally instituted facilitators in this arm of the trial. This is one of the first studies to examine the factors influencing the implementation of stroke recommendations and associated KT interventions within the context of a trial. Findings highlight the important role of self-selected facilitators to implementation efforts. Future research should seek to better understand the specific characteristics of facilitators that are associated with successful implementation and clinical outcomes, especially within the context of stroke rehabilitation.

Background The Wilson–Cleary (W–C) model of health-related quality of life (HRQL) has not been tested in stroke, and a better understanding of the components of HRQL during recovery would lead to a more integrated and person-centered approach to health management and outcome optimization for this vulnerable population. Objective To enhance our understanding for how QOL emerges from the sequelae of stroke during the recovery period, the aim was to empirically test a biopsychosocial conceptual model of HRQL for people recovering from stroke. Methods We present a multi-site longitudinal study of an inception cohort of 678 persons recruited at stroke onset and studied at key intervals over the first post-stroke year. As the most pronounced recovery after stroke occurs in the first 3 months, this time frame was chosen as the focus of this analysis. The measures for this study were chosen for their relevance to key constructs of stroke impact and for their optimal psychometric properties. Multiple measures for each of the W–C rubrics were available from instruments such as the Stroke Impact Scale, RAND-36, HUI, and EQ-5D, among others. A structural equation model (SEM) was fit using MPlus. To minimize potential bias arising from the missing data, multiple imputation was performed on the longitudinal data using SAS proc MI. Results Of the 678 subjects who entered the cohort, 618 were interviewed at 1 month post-stroke and 533 at 3 months (486 and 454 had data at 6 and 12 months, respectively). A 3-month model with paths from biological factors to symptoms and symptoms to function fits well (CFI:0.966, RMSEA:0.044), though one model with paths from function to health perception did not (CFI:0.934, RMSEA:0.058). Allowing additional paths across non-adjacent rubrics improved fit considerably (CFI:0.962, RMSEA:0.044). A final model included emotional well-being under the symptom rubric (CFI:0.955, RMSEA:0.047). Including social support as an environmental factor had little impact on the model. Total variance in health perception explained was 76.3 %. Conclusion These results emphasize that to optimize overall HRQL during the crucial first 3 months of recovery, interventions need to continue to focus on comorbid health conditions and on reducing stroke impairments. A function-only focus too soon in the recovery process may not produce the desired impact to optimize HRQL.

More than 60% of new strokes each year are "mild" in severity and this proportion is expected to rise in the years to come. Within our current health care system those with "mild" stroke are typically discharged home within days, without further referral to health or rehabilitation services other than advice to see their family physician. Those with mild stroke often have limited access to support from health professionals with stroke-specific knowledge who would typically provide critical information on topics such as secondary stroke prevention, community reintegration, medication counselling and problem solving with regard to specific concerns that arise. Isolation and lack of knowledge may lead to a worsening of health problems including stroke recurrence and unnecessary and costly health care utilization.

This project explored caregivers' perceptions regarding the barriers and facilitators to undertaking the post-stroke caregiving role, particularly as related to the health care system, with the ultimate goal of identifying potential strategies that would assist families in successfully undertaking the role. A qualitative study consisting of focus groups and individual interviews with caregivers of persons with stroke. Participants were asked about their needs in managing the care of their family member and the factors that facilitated and/or hindered the transition to the home and influenced them in maintaining their role. Information from 14 caregiver participants identified the following as primary barriers to undertaking and maintaining the caregiving role: lack of collaboration with the health care team, the intensity of the caregiving role, the negative impact on the caregiver, and the lack of community support for the caregiving role. Caregivers identified the following factors as facilitative: coordination of care, progress of the patient towards normalcy, mastery of the caregiving role, supportive social environment, and accessible community resources. The results indicate there are facilitators that caregivers perceive as important both to undertaking and to sustaining the caregiving role. Consideration of these results in the design of interventions may lead to more effective interventions to support caregivers in undertaking and continuing in the caregiver role.

In two freestanding but linked volumes, Textbook of Neural Repair and Rehabilitation provides comprehensive coverage of the science and practice of neurological rehabilitation. This volume, Medical Neurorehabilitation, can stand alone as a clinical handbook for neurorehabilitation. It covers the practical applications of the basic science principles presented in volume 1, provides authoritative guidelines on the management of disabling symptoms, and describes comprehensive rehabilitation approaches for the major categories of disabling neurological disorders. Emphasizing the integration of basic and clinical knowledge, this book and its companion are edited and written by leading international authorities. Together they are an essential resource for neuroscientists and provide a foundation for the work of clinical neurorehabilitation professionals .

Health-related quality of life (HRQL) is a key issue in disabling conditions like stroke. Unfortunately, HRQL is often difficult to quantify in a comprehensive measure that can be used in cost analyses. Preference-based HRQL measures meet this challenge. To date, there are no existing preference-based HRQL measure for stroke that could be used as an outcome in clinical and economic studies of stroke. The aim of this study was to develop the first stroke-specific health index, the Preference-based Stroke Index (PBSI).