How do stroke survivors experience rehabilitation goal setting and plans to support their rehabilitation? A qualitative study

WELL SHIT, YOU HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT THE ONLY GOAL IN STROKE IS 100% RECOVERY

 How do stroke survivors experience rehabilitation goal
setting and plans to support their rehabilitation? A
qualitative study

Disability and Rehabilitation

ISSN: (Print) (Online) Journal homepage: www.tandfonline.com/journals/idre20

How do stroke survivors experience rehabilitation goal

setting and plans to support their rehabilitation? A

qualitative study

Gabriel Tafdrup Notkin, Stig Molsted, Michael Broksgaard Jensen, Lisbet Lind

& Dorthe Gaby Bove

To cite this article: Gabriel Tafdrup Notkin, Stig Molsted, Michael Broksgaard Jensen, Lisbet

Lind & Dorthe Gaby Bove (06 May 2025): How do stroke survivors experience rehabilitation

goal setting and plans to support their rehabilitation? A qualitative study, Disability and

Rehabilitation, DOI: 10.1080/09638288.2025.2499578

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2025.2499578

Gabriel Tafdrup Notkina , Stig Molstedb,c , Michael Broksgaard Jensena , Lisbet Linda and

Dorthe Gaby Boved,e

aDepartment of neurology, nordsjællands hospital, hillerød, Denmark; bDepartment of Clinical Research, nordsjællands hospital, hillerød, Denmark;

cDepartment of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; dCentre for nursing, University College absalon, Roskilde,

Denmark; eDepartment of People and technology, Roskilde University, Roskilde, Denmark

ABSTRACT

Purpose: 

Patient involvement and goal setting are essential components of stroke rehabilitation.

However, ensuring continuity and patient engagement can be challenging due to different settings

and time points throughout rehabilitation journey. This study aimed to explore stroke survivors’

experiences with their rehabilitation plan across hospital-to-municipality transition.

Materials and methods: 

This qualitative study involved individual interviews with stroke survivors

who received standard rehabilitation plans for municipal rehabilitation after hospital discharge.

Participants shared their reflections on their cross-sectoral rehabilitation experience. Data were analyzed

using reflexive thematic analysis outlined by Braun and Clarke.

Results: 

We interviewed 17 participants from eight municipalities within the hospital’s service area.

Analysis identified two main themes: Misalignment of rehabilitation goals and plans with patient

needs and Navigating Inequity in Rehabilitation: Unmet Needs and Personal Strategies. Four subthemes

included Challenges in Defining Goals, Lack of Patient Involvement in Goal Setting, Seeking

Supplementary Care to Meet Unmet Needs, and Living Within and Beyond a Standardized System.

Conclusion: Rehabilitation goals are not always clearly communicated to stroke survivors, and

insufficient patient-centered approaches suggest potential gaps in the rehabilitation system.

Additionally, timing of rehabilitation plans often does not align with patients’ needs, indicating a need

for more adaptable and responsive rehabilitation pathways.

h IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION

1. Rehabilitation goals should transition across rehabilitation settings for stroke survivors and

therapist consistency.

2. Stroke survivors do not always understand their rehabilitation goals and plans therefore therapists

should aim for open discussion and reevaluation of the goals for rehabilitation in cooperation

with the stroke survivors.

3. Rehabilitation goals should not be formulated in a standardized and restricted way as it can

reduce the motivation for the stroke survivors and not provide enough useful information for

the therapists working across sectors in relation to establishing a connection across sectors.

(Wrong, wrong, wrong; the only goal in stroke is 100% recovery!)

My conclusion is you don't understand ONE GODDAMN THING ABOUT SURVIVOR MOTIVATION/ADHERENCE, DO YOU? You create EXACT 100% recovery protocols, and your survivor will be motivated to do the millions of reps needed because they are looking forward to 100% recovery. I'd fire all of you for incompetence! GET THERE!