Perceptions of stroke recovery: an exclusion of communication and cognition

Perceptions of stroke recovery can differ substantially between stroke survivors and their healthcare providers. Concordance between the two is important for collaborative goal setting to facilitate optimal outcomes.

To explore stroke survivors' perceptions of their own recovery and residual impairments with specific emphasis on communication and cognition.

A qualitative analytic approach was used in the study. Nine stroke survivors participated in a focus group discussion as part of a larger study designed to examine post-stroke outcomes.

Early in the focus group proceedings, a discussion emphasizing how stroke survivors perceive their overall recovery emerged. Six of the nine participants (67%) perceived their overall stroke recovery to be greater than 90%, and only physical impairments were reported. Later in the course of the interview, eight of the nine participants (89%) reported either word retrieval or memory loss deficits which negatively influenced their daily functional activities.

Stroke survivors in this sample did not include communication and cognitive deficits in their perception of their overall recovery despite later reporting these symptoms and related impairment. Failure of patients to include such persisting deficits in their reports of recovery can cause a mismatch between stroke survivor and provider goals.