Deans' stroke musings: Social Network Mapping and Functional Recovery Within 6 Months of Ischemic Stroke

Changing stroke rehab and research worldwide now.Time is Brain! trillions and trillions of neurons that DIE each day because there are NO effective hyperacute therapies besides tPA(only 12% effective). I have 523 posts on hyperacute therapy, enough for researchers to spend decades proving them out. These are my personal ideas and blog on stroke rehabilitation and stroke research. Do not attempt any of these without checking with your medical provider. Unless you join me in agitating, when you need these therapies they won't be there.

What this blog is for:

My blog is not to help survivors recover, it is to have the 10 million yearly stroke survivors light fires underneath their doctors, stroke hospitals and stroke researchers to get stroke solved. 100% recovery. The stroke medical world is completely failing at that goal, they don't even have it as a goal. Shortly after getting out of the hospital and getting NO information on the process or protocols of stroke rehabilitation and recovery I started searching on the internet and found that no other survivor received useful information. This is an attempt to cover all stroke rehabilitation information that should be readily available to survivors so they can talk with informed knowledge to their medical staff. It lays out what needs to be done to get stroke survivors closer to 100% recovery. It's quite disgusting that this information is not available from every stroke association and doctors group.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Social Network Mapping and Functional Recovery Within 6 Months of Ischemic Stroke

My social network expanded exponentially after I got divorced, moved to a new state and got a new job. That was 6 years after the stroke. But I'm an outlier, don't follow me.

Life is great.

Social Network Mapping and Functional Recovery Within 6 Months of Ischemic Stroke

Show all authors

Amar Dhand, MD, DPhil

, Catherine E. Lang, PhD*

, Douglas A. Luke, PhD, ...

First Published September 15, 2019 Research Article

Abstract

Objective.
Stroke recovery is a multidimensional process influenced by biological and psychosocial factors. To understand the latter, we mapped the social networks of stroke patients, analyzing their changes and effects on physical function at 3 and 6 months after stroke.
Methods. We used a quantitative social network assessment tool to map the structure and health habits embedded in patients’ personal social networks. The physical function outcome was determined using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Physical Function Scale (0-100, mean 50 for US general population). We used mixed-effects models to assess changes in social network metrics. We used multivariable models to test the association between social networks and physical function, independent of demographics, socioeconomic status, clinical characteristics, comorbidities, cognition, and depression.
Results. The cohort consisted of 172 patients, with mostly mild motor-predominant stroke (median NIH Stroke Scale of 2) with retention of 149 at 3 months and 139 at 6 months. An average patient’s network over 6 months contracted by 1.25 people and became denser and family oriented. Network composition also became healthier with pruning of ties with people who smoked or did not exercise. The baseline network size, and not density or health habits in the network, was independently associated with 3- and 6-month physical function PROMIS scores. Patients embedded in small kin-based networks reported more negative social interactions.
Conclusions. Despite social networks becoming smaller and close-knit after stroke, they also become healthier. Larger baseline social networks are independently associated with better patient-reported physical function after stroke.

Keywords stroke rehabilitation, social environment, social networking, recovery of function, psychosocial support systems