National survey of stroke rehabilitation services in Indonesia

To describe stroke rehabilitation services in Indonesia.

Cross-sectional online survey (June-August 2023) assessed sub-acute stroke rehabilitation service provision in Indonesia. Adapted from international examples, the survey explored service characteristics including staffing, session frequency, duration, and insurance coverage. A convenience sample of hospital and community health centre staff delivering rehabilitation was recruited through the Indonesian Angels Initiative and the Indonesian Physiotherapy Association.

Eighty-one responses were received from 24/38 (63%) Indonesian provinces; 72 (89%) from hospitals and nine (11%) from community health centres. All respondents were physiotherapists. Most hospitals offered outpatient rehabilitation (82%); 93% of referrals were from acute neurology; 90% of hospital rehabilitation services reported patients were covered by national health insurance. All hospitals had physiotherapists; 83% (n = 60) had rehabilitation physicians, and one-third had occupational or speech therapists. Two-thirds provided rehabilitation 2-3 times/week for up to an hour/session, primarily focusing on strength and range of motion exercises. At community health centres, most patients were self-referred (67%), and were supported through a combination of health insurance and self-funded payments (67%).

This study presents detailed cross-sectional data on Indonesian sub-acute stroke rehabilitation services, which are primarily provided by hospital-based outpatient services, with therapy provision below international clinical practice guideline recommendations.