Unmet needs poststroke and associated factors: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Public Health
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Stroke survivors frequently experience unmet needs impacting their recovery and quality of life.
• Contemporary data is essential to understand the current landscape of these needs for effective intervention planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize current data on the prevalence of unmet needs among community-dwelling stroke survivors.
• To identify factors associated with these unmet needs.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was conducted across MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL for studies published between 2013 and June 2025.
• Meta-analysis was used to pool prevalence estimates of unmet needs, and associated factors were summarized.
• Inclusion criteria focused on community-dwelling survivors or their proxies.

Main Results:

• The meta-analysis included 19 studies with 8,138 participants, identifying 68 unique unmet needs across six domains.
• A pooled prevalence of 65% of stroke survivors reported at least one unmet need.
• Top unmet needs included lack of stroke education/information (60%), fatigue (49%), concentration difficulties (46%), headache (37%), anxiety/depression (36%), and dietary concerns (36%).
• Factors associated with unmet needs comprised social determinants of health, stroke characteristics, poststroke care details, multimorbidity, and overall health status.

Conclusions:

• This study provides up-to-date prevalence data on unmet needs and associated factors in community-dwelling stroke survivors.
• Findings highlight the significant burden of unmet needs, particularly in information access and psychological well-being.
• Results can inform the development of more targeted interventions and support services, especially psychological support, for stroke survivors.