Effects of Appropriate Technology for Home-based Rehabilitation in Patients With Post-stroke Physical Dysfunction

Effects of Appropriate Technology for Home-based Rehabilitation in Patients With Post-stroke Physical Dysfunction

The goal of this clinical trial is to assess the effect of S-HRAT to improve patients' motor function and activities of daily living.

Limb dysfunction is the primary disability factor among stroke patients. However, due to various factors, most stroke survivors do not receive sufficient rehabilitation training after discharge. Home-based rehabilitation appropriate technology (S-HRAT） training could be a strategy to meet the patients' requirements for rehabilitation after hospital discharge. This study aims to assess the effect of a nursing intervention based on Cox's Interaction Model of Client Health Behavior (IMCHB) with the application of S-HRAT to improve patients' motor function and activities of daily living.

In this pilot trial, 36 stroke survivors with limb dysfunction will be screened for inclusion before hospital discharge and randomly assigned to the experimental or control group with their informed consent. The control group(n=18) will receive the usual care provided by the hospital. The experimental group(n=18) will receive usual care and an 8-week S-HRAT training program. This nursing interventions use Cox's IMCHB as a theoretical framework that consists of rehabilitation exercises and the provision of health information. Baseline assessments will be conducted on the day before hospital discharge, and outcomes will be assessed at 8 weeks and 12 weeks after discharge. The primary outcome is change in motor function 8 weeks after discharge, and the secondary outcomes include the activities of daily living, anxiety, depression, exercise adherence, and patient satisfaction.

This study is the first of its kind conducted in China to use Cox's IMCHB as a framework to guide the development of the S-HRAT training program. Our pilot will determine if such an approach is feasible and effective in enhancing motor function and improving the activities of daily living post-stroke after discharge.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age≥18;
• Patients diagnosed with cerebrovascular disease who have cerebral infarction or cerebral hemorrhage based on cranial CT or MRI and meet the diagnostic criteria;
• Patients are in the non-acute phase, meaning between two weeks and six months after the onset of the disease;
• Patients with limb dysfunction.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Return to a hospital or rehabilitation facility after discharge;
• The patient has a history of mental illness and dyslexia;
• Patients have a combination of serious, life-threatening conditions.