Abstract
BackgroundLong-term needs of stroke survivors are often not adequately addressed and many patients are dissatisfied with care post-discharge from hospital. Primary care could play an important role in identifying need in people with stroke.AimWe aimed to explore, refine and test the feasibility and acceptability of a post-stroke checklist for stroke reviews in primary care.Design and settingFocus groups (using a generic qualitative approach) and a single-centre feasibility study.MethodFive focus groups were conducted; three with healthcare providers and two with stroke survivors/carers. The focus groups discussed acceptability of a checklist approach and the content of an existing checklist. The checklist was then modified and piloted in one general practice surgery in the East of England.ResultsThe qualitative data found the concept of a checklist was considered valuable to standardise stroke reviews and prevent post-stroke problems being missed. Items were identified that were missing from the original checklist: return to work, fatigue, intimate relationships and social activities. Time constraints was the main concern from healthcare professionals and pre-completion of the checklist was suggested to address this.Thirteen stroke survivors were recruited to the feasibility study. The modified checklist was found to be feasible and acceptable to patients and primary care clinicians and resulted in agreed action plans.ConclusionThe modified post-stroke checklist is a pragmatic and feasible approach to identify problems post-stroke and facilitate referral to appropriate support services. The checklist is a potentially valuable tool to structure stroke reviews using a patient-centred approach.
Highlights
Long-term needs of stroke survivors are often not adequately addressed and many patients are dissatisfied with care post-discharge from hospital
The qualitative data found the concept of a checklist was considered valuable to standardise stroke reviews and prevent post-stroke problems being missed
Thirteen stroke survivors were recruited to the feasibility study
Summary
Long-term needs of stroke survivors are often not adequately addressed and many patients are dissatisfied with care post-discharge from hospital. Primary care could play an important role in identifying need in people with stroke. As survival improves [2, 3], longer term care of stroke survivors is increasingly important. Stroke survivors and their carers may feel abandoned and marginalised by Primary care could play an important role in long-term care of stroke survivors, supporting access to community services and facilitating transfer back to specialist services if required. No formal primary care based model of care exists to support stroke survivors. A systematic and standardised approach to identify patients’ needs post-stroke and facilitate access to support services might improve patient experience
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