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

Data on commonly reported unmet needs poststroke are crucial to inform interventions and ongoing care of survivors. We aimed to synthesize contemporary data on the prevalence of unmet needs among survivors in the community, and associated factors.

We searched MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL for articles with prevalence estimates on unmet needs poststroke. Only articles comprising data collected from 2013 to June 2025 from survivors living in the community or their proxies were included. A random-effects model was used to meta-analyze prevalence, whereas associated factors were summarized.

Of 1,233 articles screened, 19 were eligible for inclusion (n = 8,138 participants), including 13/19 with data on associated factors, and one from a low-to-middle-income country. Overall, 68 unique unmet needs were identified across six domains: body function (n = 13), cognition/mental health (n = 10), social/community integration (n = 7), activity/participation (n = 14), service/information (n = 11), and recovery (n = 13). The pooled prevalence of reporting ≥1 unmet need was 65%. Unmet needs with the greatest pooled prevalence estimates were those related to education/information on stroke (60%), fatigue (49%), concentration (46%), headache (37%), anxiety/depression (36%), and diet (36%). Factors that were commonly associated with reported unmet needs include those related to social determinants of health (most commonly age and sex), stroke type/severity, poststroke care (most commonly length of hospital stay and poststroke services), multimorbidity, and health and well-being.

We provide contemporary data on unmet needs among stroke survivors in the community, and associated factors. Our findings could inform more tailored support, particularly psychological support, for survivors in the community. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).