Marion F. Walker

Implementation of evidence-informed rehabilitation of the upper limb is variable, and outcomes for stroke survivors are often suboptimal. We established a national partnership of clinicians, survivors of stroke, researchers, healthcare organizations, and policy makers to facilitate change. The objectives of this study are to increase access to best-evidence rehabilitation of the upper limb and improve outcomes for stroke survivors. This prospective pragmatic, knowledge translation study involves four new specialist therapy centers to deliver best-evidence upper-limb sensory rehabilitation (known as SENSe therapy) for survivors of stroke in the community. A knowledge-transfer intervention will be used to upskill therapists and guide implementation. Specialist centers will deliver SENSe therapy, an effective and recommended therapy, to stroke survivors in the community. Outcomes include number of successful deliveries of SENSe therapy by credentialled therapists; improved somatosensory function for stroke survivors; improved performance in self-selected activities, arm use, and quality of life; treatment fidelity and confidence to deliver therapy; and for future implementation, expert therapist effect and cost-effectiveness. In summary, we will determine the effect of a national partnership to increase access to evidence-based upper-limb sensory rehabilitation following stroke. If effective, this knowledge-transfer intervention could be used to optimize the delivery of other complex, evidence-based rehabilitation interventions.

Objectives In the UK, over 20% of stroke survivors leave hospital with severe disability. Limited evidence-based clinical guidance is available to support the rehabilitation of these individuals. Our previous research has focused on establishing consensus regarding the core components of home-based rehabilitation for this under investigated group. This study explores the barriers of providing rehabilitation and identifies strategies to overcome them. Design Three focus group interviews were conducted with n=20. The context coding framework was employed to organise the transcribed data and to facilitate inductive and deductive analysis and synthesis. Setting Online, MSTeams, UK. Participants A purposive sample of 20 National Health Service clinical staff participants, from 3 multidisciplinary teams providing home-based stroke rehabilitation for this population (n=7, 6 and 7). Results High levels of need were reported across multiple domains for survivors including continence, communication and physical function. Interventions often required multiagency collaboration in order to optimise the available resources and specialist skills. There was lack of clarity regarding who was ultimately responsible for providing components of rehabilitation for stroke survivors with severe disability. Teams provide rehabilitation for this population but are insufficiently commissioned or resourced to fully meet their needs. In-complete and disjointed pathways with resultant healthcare inequalities were commonly reported. Teams used a variety of strategies to overcome these barriers and optimise rehabilitation opportunities. These included upskilling a diverse range of partners to capitalise on the skills and resources across health, social care and voluntary sector boundaries employing multiagency collaboration. Teams established and engaged networks of stakeholders in order to advocate on behalf of stroke survivors. Conclusions Collaboration and partnership working is important in the delivery of rehabilitation for stroke survivors with severe disability. Commissioners need to be aware that cross-agency multidisciplinary expertise is required, if rehabilitation opportunities are to be realised and existing health inequalities addressed.

L’objectif de cet article est d’apporter des pistes pédagogiques permettant d’enseigner la gestion de l’incertitude en médecine. En premier lieu, il s’a...

To explore how stroke survivors’ expectations and understanding of Early Supported Discharge (ESD) helped them make sense of their experiences, and shaped their engagement with the service.Data wer...

This study investigated the life transformation of children when a parent returned home from hospital after a stroke. The study explored children’s experiences of taking on caring roles in partnership with their well parent and stroke survivors’ perceptions of the young carer roles. The study aimed to identify unmet support needs in order to inform future service provision. Semi-structured interviews were conducted separately with stroke survivors (n = 7) (age range 41–60 years, mean 50.6) and their young carers (n = 11) (age range 11–20 years, mean 16). Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Three overarching themes were identified: the lives of young carers, impact of stroke, and insulating the family. All the children were providing some level of care. None were in receipt of any formal support. Children moved in and out of the caring role in the absence of an adult, to act as primary carer. Young carers valued the life skills they were gaining but reported gaps in their knowledge and understanding of stroke. The well parent and young carers worked together in a bi-directional partnership to ameliorate the impact of stroke on the family. The study concluded that age appropriate and stroke specific information for children of stroke survivors could enhance agency and optimise positive outcomes of caring.

Family members of stroke survivors are often not supported for their caring role, with many reporting adjustment difficulties. This paper describes the development and content of a group-based inte...

In the UK, over 20% of patients leaving hospital after a stroke will be severely disabled. Despite this, limited clinical guidance is available to teams tasked with providing support for this complex population at home. Additionally, many areas across the UK are not commissioned to treat this patient cohort, leaving them with no specialist support on discharge. Objectives To establish core components of home-based rehabilitation for survivors of stroke with severe disability, based on expert panel consensus. Setting Virtual nominal group technique (vNGT) across the UK. Participants Experts in the field of stroke rehabilitation (n=14) including researchers, clinicians and those with lived experience. Methods Two vNGT were completed using a freely available online platform, Microsoft Teams. The technique’s five stages were completed virtually; introduction, silent idea generation, round robin, clarifications and scoring. Statements were analysed for consensus, those achieving consensus underwent content analysis to form rich overarching consensus statements. Results A combined total of 421 statements achieved positive consensus (>75% in agreement), which formed 11 overarching consensus statements. These outline key components of home-based rehabilitation for survivors of stroke with severe disability including the structure and members of the team, as well as the skills and knowledge required. Conclusion The consensus statements highlight the complexity of managing patients with severe stroke disability following discharge from hospital. This study has the potential to support the provision of services for this patient group, providing a benchmark for commissioners and clinicians as well as setting expectations for stroke survivors and their carers. What remains unknown is how many services currently offer this service to patients with severe disability.

Background: In England, the provision of early supported discharge is recommended as part of an evidence-based stroke care pathway. Objectives: To investigate the effectiveness of early supported discharge services when implemented at scale in practice and to understand how the context within which these services operate influences their implementation and effectiveness. Design: A mixed-methods study using a realist evaluation approach and two interlinking work packages was undertaken. Three programme theories were tested to investigate the adoption of evidence-based core components, differences in urban and rural settings, and communication processes. Setting and interventions: Early supported discharge services across a large geographical area of England, covering the West and East Midlands, the East of England and the North of England. Participants: Work package 1: historical prospective patient data from the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme collected by early supported discharge and hospital teams. Work package 2: NHS staff (n = 117) and patients (n = 30) from six purposely selected early supported discharge services. Data and main outcome: Work package 1: a 17-item early supported discharge consensus score measured the adherence to evidence-based core components defined in an international consensus document. The effectiveness of early supported discharge was measured with process and patient outcomes and costs. Work package 2: semistructured interviews and focus groups with NHS staff and patients were undertaken to investigate the contextual determinants of early supported discharge effectiveness. Results: A variety of early supported discharge service models had been adopted, as reflected by the variability in the early supported discharge consensus score. A one-unit increase in early supported discharge consensus score was significantly associated with a more responsive early supported discharge service and increased treatment intensity. There was no association with stroke survivor outcome. Patients who received early supported discharge in their stroke care pathway spent, on average, 1 day longer in hospital than those who did not receive early supported discharge. The most rural services had the highest service costs per patient. NHS staff identified core evidence-based components (e.g. eligibility criteria, co-ordinated multidisciplinary team and regular weekly multidisciplinary team meetings) as central to the effectiveness of early supported discharge. Mechanisms thought to streamline discharge and help teams to meet their responsiveness targets included having access to a social worker and the quality of communications and transitions across services. The role of rehabilitation assistants and an interdisciplinary approach were facilitators of delivering an intensive service. The rurality of early supported discharge services, especially when coupled with capacity issues and increased travel times to visit patients, could influence the intensity of rehabilitation provision and teams’ flexibility to adjust to patients’ needs. This required organising multidisciplinary teams and meetings around the local geography. Findings also highlighted the importance of good leadership and communication. Early supported discharge staff highlighted the need for collaborative and trusting relationships with patients and carers and stroke unit staff, as well as across the wider stroke care pathway. Limitations: Work package 1: possible influence of unobserved variables and we were unable to determine the effect of early supported discharge on patient outcomes. Work package 2: the pragmatic approach led to ‘theoretical nuggets’ rather than an overarching higher-level theory. Conclusions: The realist evaluation methodology allowed us to address the complexity of early supported discharge delivery in real-world settings. The findings highlighted the importance of context and contextual features and mechanisms that need to be either addressed or capitalised on to improve effectiveness. Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN15568163. Funding: This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Services and Delivery Research programme and will be published in full in Health Services and Delivery Research; Vol. 9, No. 22. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

To evaluate different stroke early supported discharge (ESD) services in different geographical settings using cost-consequence analysis (CCA), which presents information about costs and outcomes i...

The context of implementation plays an important role in the delivery of optimal treatments in stroke recovery and rehabilitation. Considering that stroke systems of care vary widely across the glo...