Healthcare professionals’ knowledge and perceptions of post-stroke rehabilitation in the peripandemic period: an online cross-sectional survey
Assylbek M.I. Zimba O. Yessirkepov M. Kocyigit B.F.
December 2024Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Rheumatology International
2024#44Issue 123063 - 3071 pp.
The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected healthcare systems, particularly post-stroke rehabilitation centers. The elevated severity of strokes and delayed hospital admissions caused numerous hurdles to rehabilitation administration during the peri-pandemic period. This study surveyed healthcare professionals’ knowledge and perceptions of post-stroke rehabilitation during this period. An online cross-sectional survey was administered from September 17, 2023 to February 23, 2024, utilizing the SurveyMonkey platform. The questionnaire included 30 questions addressing participant baseline characteristics, knowledge of definitions and experiences, post-stroke rehabilitation procedures, obstacles encountered during the peri-pandemic period, and the utilization of telerehabilitation. Only complete responses from health professionals were considered. This report utilized convenience sampling. Data were analyzed via descriptive statistics and chi-square tests, with a significance threshold of p < 0.05. A total of 79 health professionals, predominantly physiatrists, neurologists, and physiotherapists, from eight countries participated in the study. Over half of the participants (64.6%) indicated the existence of a dedicated department for post-stroke rehabilitation. Significant obstacles comprised an absence of advanced rehabilitative treatments (60.8%), inadequately skilled workers (50.6%), and restricted space for rehabilitation (46.8%). Telerehabilitation was regarded as a feasible option by 45.6% of participants; nonetheless, obstacles, including patients’ telecommunication proficiency and the possibility of diagnostic inaccuracies, were acknowledged. Complementary therapies, such as music and dance therapy, received favorable evaluations from 67.1% to 63.3% of respondents, respectively. The pandemic reduced rehabilitation admissions due to infection concerns (75.9%) and increased multimorbidity cases among patients (48.1%). The study underscores the pandemic’s negative effect on post-stroke rehabilitation, emphasizing the necessity for multidisciplinary, customized therapy and enhanced integration of telerehabilitation to overcome access barriers. Addressing obstacles regarding infrastructure, training, and access to advanced approaches, particularly in a post-pandemic context, is essential to improving rehabilitation outcomes.
COVID-19 , Neurological rehabilitation , Stroke rehabilitation , Surveys and questionnaires , Telerehabilitation
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Department of Neurology, Psychiatry, Neurosurgery and Rehabilitation, South Kazakhstan Medical Academy, Shymkent, Kazakhstan
Department of Social Health Insurance and Public Health, South Kazakhstan Medical Academy, Shymkent, Kazakhstan
Medical Center ‘‘Mediker’’, Shymkent, Kazakhstan
Department of Clinical Rheumatology and Immunology, University Hospital in Krakow, Krakow, Poland
National Institute of Geriatrics, Rheumatology and Rehabilitation, Warsaw, Poland
Department of Internal Medicine N2, Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University, Lviv, Ukraine
Department of Biology and Biochemistry, South Kazakhstan Medical Academy, Shymkent, Kazakhstan
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Health Sciences, Adana Health Practice and Research Center, Adana, Turkey
Department of Neurology
Department of Social Health Insurance and Public Health
Medical Center ‘‘Mediker’’
Department of Clinical Rheumatology and Immunology
National Institute of Geriatrics
Department of Internal Medicine N2
Department of Biology and Biochemistry
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
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