Information provision during stroke rehabilitation: The health professional's perspective

Abstract

Education in chronic conditions such as stroke aims to improve self-management skills. Previous research has informed health professionals about the information needs of clients with stroke and their carers, and suggested methods for information provision. This article will briefly review the evidence in this area and present findings from a study which investigated the clinical practice and views on information provision of stroke rehabilitation team members. Sixty-seven health professionals working in the inpatient or outpatient stroke rehabilitation settings of six major hospitals completed a questionnaire on information provision. Information topics that were conveyed by the majority of participants to both clients and their carers included what to expect in rehabilitation, recovery after stroke, treatment after stroke, and community services. Participant responses were similar for clients with stroke and their carers during both inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation. The participants were aware of the ideal methods of information provision but cited factors relevant to the team and organization as barriers to effective practice. Health professionals are finding it difficult to achieve ideal practice for information provision in stroke rehabilitation. The identification of key team members who are responsible for identifying individual information needs and coordinating delivery of the education programme may be beneficial and requires further evaluation.