Effect of self-supporting care on activities of daily living for patients with stroke: A randomized crossover trial

Self-supporting care encompasses four caregiving principles: drinking water, exercise, excretion, and nutrition. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of home-based self-supporting care on activities of daily living (ADL) for patients with stroke. We conducted a single-blinded, 2-period, randomized crossover study with 28 stroke patients enrolled. Each participant received two programs (self-supporting care and health education) in two separate periods. Outcomes measures included the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM), Barthel Index (BI), and two scales of the Barthel Index-based Supplementary Scales (i.e., Ability and Self-perceived Difficulty). Statistically significant differences were observed in the COPM, BI and Ability Scale (p = 0.007-0.02) between the two programs. Small to moderate effect size was noticed in the outcome measures (partial η² = 0.039-0.161). Home-based self-supporting care with the four caregiving principles showed benefits in reducing reliance on caregivers and increasing capabilities of carrying out ADL for patients with stroke.