Experience of Information Provision at the Stroke Unit From the Perspective of Relatives to Stroke Survivors

Stroke Survivors and Their Family Caregivers' Experiences of Health Information Seeking: A Qualitative Study

BACKGROUND

Stroke is a significant and unpredictable event that affects physical and mental functions. A useful approach to returning to a normal life is to seek out health information. This study aimed to explore the experiences from health information seeking in the stroke survivors and their family caregivers.

METHODS

This study was carried out using qualitative content analysis. Participants included five stroke survivors and fifteen family caregivers who were selected purposively from the Rofideh Rehabilitation Center and private physiotherapy centers in Tehran. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was performed using Graneheim and Lundman's method manually in Word software. Sampling was carried out in 2021.

RESULTS

Two main categories were extracted 1): adapting and learning resulting from awareness including optimization of living environment and disease management, and 2) fear and inquietude on the information way including confused and insolvent in receiving information, and doubts about the accuracy of information.

CONCLUSION

The health information seeking created adaptability and relative stability in some stroke survivors and their family caregivers. However, in others, there was still a sense of anxiety and uncertainty. Thus, understanding health information seeking experiences helps health policymakers and administrators to provide information and training based on evidence and individual needs of the client and family.

Internet-based information sharing with stroke patient families in a rehabilitation hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic: A case-control study

BACKGROUND

The spread of COVID-19 has affected stroke rehabilitation. Given that inpatient visits are restricted in most institutions, alternative ways of providing information to family members are imperative. Informing families about patients' rehabilitation progress via the Internet may help involve families in the rehabilitation process, enhance patients' motivation to continue rehabilitation, and contribute overall to patients' improvement in activities of daily living (ADL).

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to investigate the feasibility of an Internet-based rehabilitation information sharing (IRIS) intervention for families of stroke patients at a rehabilitation hospital and to examine the effect of IRIS on patients' ADL improvement.

METHODS

In this case-control study, participants were inpatients at a rehabilitation hospital between March 2020 and April 2021. The intervention group (ICT group) included patients and families who requested IRIS, which consisted of a progress report on patients' rehabilitation using text, photos, and movies. Those who did not receive Internet-based information were included in the non-ICT group. The control group, matched with the ICT group based on a 1:1 propensity score, was selected from the non-ICT group. The covariates for calculating the propensity score were patients' age, sex, and motor and cognitive scores on the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) at admission. The main outcome was the degree of ADL improvement during hospitalization. Multiple regression analysis (forced entry method) was performed to confirm the impact of ICT use on ADL improvement. The independent variables were the presence of intervention, length of hospital stay, and the number of days from onset to hospitalization.

RESULTS

Sixteen groups of patients and families participated in the IRIS. The mean age of patients was 78.6±7.2 and 78.6±8.2 years in the ICT and control groups, respectively. The median total FIM difference was 28.5 (interquartile range 20.3-53.0) and 11.0 (2.8-30.0) in the ICT and control groups, respectively, and the ICT group showed significant improvement in ADL function (p=.02). In the multiple regression analysis of the ICT and control groups, the unstandardized regression coefficients and 95% confidence intervals were 11.97 (0.09 to 23.84) for ICT use. These results indicate that ICT use was independently and significantly associated with improvement in ADL.

CONCLUSIONS

This study examined the effect of IRIS on family members to improve ADL in hospitalized stroke patients. The results showed that IRIS promotes improvement of patients' ADL regardless of age, sex, and motor and cognitive functions at admission, and length of hospital stay.