Empowering stroke survivors: interprofessional student tele-teams promote community participation goals

Stroke survivors face long-term barriers to participation after rehabilitation discharge, particularly in rural areas with limited access to support services. This mixed-methods pilot study explored the outcomes of nine stroke survivor community participants (CPs) who engaged in six telehealth sessions with interprofessional student teams over 5 months. Although no significant changes were observed in body function or activity measures on the Stroke Impact Scale or Participation Strategies Self-Efficacy Scale, CPs reported a significant increase in perceived mastery of goals (Relative Mastery Scale, p = .039) and goal achievement (p = .047). Perceptions of teamwork also improved (PIVOT, p = .031), and telehealth was viewed as usable and beneficial (mean TUQ = 5.6/7). Qualitative findings highlighted increased self-management and autonomy, social support, benefits of a client-centered team approach, and benefits of telehealth for people with a chronic condition. CPs valued both receiving support and mentoring students and reported lasting psychosocial benefits. Despite limitations such as small sample size and lack of racial diversity, results suggest that student-led tele-teams may support stroke survivors' meaningful engagement and self-efficacy. This model shows promise as a scalable, interprofessional service-learning intervention to bridge gaps in post-rehabilitation care and promote community reintegration.