Background: Globally, programs that support earlier discharge from hospital are growing in popularity. Whilst research has explored stroke survivors’ experiences of an early supported discharge model of care, very few have explored their perceptions of the amount and the intensity of therapy received, and compared this to the actual amount and rehabilitation provided.
Aims: To explore stroke survivors’ perspectives and acceptance of rehabilitation amount received within an ESD model of care.
Method: A cross-sectional survey and retrospective medical file audit was conducted with stroke survivors recently discharged from ESD rehabilitation service. Participants completed a telephone-based survey regarding allied health input, therapy frequency and duration, and perceptions on therapy intensity. Occasions of service and clinical outcomes were extracted from medical records to describe the cohort and compare to self-reported data. This included: goals and goal attainment (Canadian Occupational Performance Measure), health-related quality-of-life (EQ5D5L), frequency and duration of allied health input.
Results: Data collection is underway with full results available for the conference. Preliminary data (n=15) suggests that a mean of 4.8 sessions per week was provided, with responders (67%) identifying this as the “just right amount”. 80% reported one allied health session per day as the ideal amount of sessions. Each session length was most frequently reported to be 30-45min, which most (80%) felt was ‘just right’. All therapist set and check homework, and responders reported to complete between 30-60mins per day (on average) of independent practice. Most (73%) said they didn’t receive information about therapy amount or intensity prior to service commencement.
Conclusion: Preliminary results indicate that stroke survivors report to complete between 90-120mins of therapy daily within an ESD service. Whilst most are satisfied with this, it remains below the recommended amount by clinical practice guidelines. This information will guide service modifications (e.g. expectation setting) to increase patient engagement.