Exploring the Influence of Digitalization on Multidisciplinary Poststroke Rehabilitation Practice: Qualitative Study

Leveraging digital technologies in health care is recognized as essential for effective and efficient services. However, significant challenges remain in implementing these technologies in stroke rehabilitation practice, and research on their influence is limited.

This study aimed to explore the current influence of digital technologies on stroke rehabilitation practices and consider how these technologies could shape the future landscape of rehabilitation for multidisciplinary health care professionals in poststroke rehabilitation.

A qualitative, exploratory design was used. Data were collected from 12 experienced multidisciplinary health care professionals at 2 Norwegian rehabilitation settings via semistructured interviews, and the data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Data analysis was guided by social practice theory.

The 12 participants included experienced physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, nurses, physicians, and social workers. The following three main themes were generated: (1) Outsourcing information about and to stroke survivors: coordination and continuity within and across services (subthemes on follow-up and interservice collaboration, and user-centered approaches); (2) Navigating the ambivalence of remaining human relations in digital psychosocial support conversations (highlighting multidisciplinary challenges in building relational depth and addressing sensitive topics); and (3) Enhancing digital supplements for assessment and engagement in motor rehabilitation (subthemes on progress monitoring and motor skills exercises). Overall, the use of digital technologies in specialized stroke rehabilitation practices was seen as an adjunct to practices. While digital technologies influenced rehabilitation practices, ambivalence and challenges were noted, particularly in digitalizing multidisciplinary psychological support and exercise programs. Systems for sharing medical records and goal-setting apps, which enhance coordination and involve stroke survivors, were emphasized as future digital technologies that can shape stroke rehabilitation.

Health care professionals used various technologies in their daily specialist practices, as well as for the coordination and follow-up of stroke survivors after referral to community services. This study identified several organizational processes, roles, standards, and rules that can act as barriers or drivers to implementing digital technologies in practice. Viewing familiar digital technology as a supplement to existing practices, rather than as a singular solution for all areas of specialized stroke rehabilitation, offers significant potential for quality improvement. These findings provide valuable insights for technology developers, health care personnel, and user groups in specialized neurological rehabilitation settings.