Improving the Management of Post-Stroke Spasticity: Time for Action

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Clinical Practice

Background:

• Spasticity is a common and disabling condition following stroke.
• Delayed or inappropriate management of spasticity can lead to significant long-term disability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify key barriers to the appropriate referral and treatment of post-stroke spasticity.
• To propose pragmatic solutions and recommendations to overcome these identified barriers.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative interviews with UK healthcare professionals managing post-stroke spasticity.
• A consensus meeting with 7 UK spasticity experts to prioritize barriers.
• Development of consensus-based recommendations and a novel identification tool.

Main Results:

• High-priority barriers include insufficient awareness of spasticity symptoms and treatment benefits, limited access to specialized spasticity services, and a lack of standardized identification pathways.
• Proposed solutions involve enhancing healthcare professional training, improving patient education, and appointing dedicated spasticity experts within acute care teams.

Conclusions:

• Addressing barriers requires a multi-faceted approach focusing on education, service access, and standardized identification protocols.
• The "ACTION" acronym is proposed as a mnemonic tool to aid in the identification of stroke patients requiring specialist spasticity assessment.