Topics Mentioned by Stroke Patients during Supportive Phone Calls-Implications for Individualized Aftercare Programs

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Public Health
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Stroke is increasingly recognized as a chronic condition requiring comprehensive aftercare.
• Patient perspectives are essential for developing effective post-discharge stroke care programs.
• Understanding patient-reported experiences informs healthcare system improvements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To extract and analyze patient-identified topics relevant to stroke aftercare from a pilot program.
• To investigate patient perspectives on stroke-related symptoms, rehabilitation, and healthcare interactions.
• To identify factors influencing patient communication about aftercare needs.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of records from a local stroke pilot program, including phone call data from 157 patients two months post-discharge.
• Inclusion criteria: patients with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA).
• Topic extraction focused on patient-mentioned themes such as rehabilitation, symptoms, medication, and healthcare interactions.

Main Results:

• "Rehabilitation" (67.5%), "specialist physician", "symptoms", and "medication" were the most frequently mentioned topics.
• Patients with no disability at discharge mentioned "symptoms" more often than severely disabled patients.
• "Outpatient care" was more frequently mentioned by inpatient-treated patients; "depression" was noted by 11.8% not receiving rehabilitation.
• Household type (single vs. multi-person) influenced mentions of "specialist physicians" and "outpatient care".
• Disability at discharge was associated with the likelihood of mentioning specific aftercare topics.

Conclusions:

• Patient perspectives offer critical insights into the needs and challenges of stroke aftercare.
• Key topics requiring attention include rehabilitation, symptom management, medication adherence, and specialist physician access.
• Patient disability level at discharge is a valuable predictor for tailoring individualized aftercare planning.