Nominal group technique to establish the core components of home-based rehabilitation for survivors of stroke with severe disability

Abstract

In the UK, over 20% of patients leaving hospital after a stroke will be severely disabled. Despite this, limited clinical guidance is available to teams tasked with providing support for this complex population at home. Additionally, many areas across the UK are not commissioned to treat this patient cohort, leaving them with no specialist support on discharge.ObjectivesTo establish core components of home-based rehabilitation for survivors of stroke with severe disability, based on expert panel consensus.SettingVirtual nominal group technique (vNGT) across the UK.ParticipantsExperts in the field of stroke rehabilitation (n=14) including researchers, clinicians and those with lived experience.MethodsTwo vNGT were completed using a freely available online platform, Microsoft Teams. The technique’s five stages were completed virtually; introduction, silent idea generation, round robin, clarifications and scoring. Statements were analysed for consensus, those achieving consensus underwent content analysis to form rich overarching consensus statements.ResultsA combined total of 421 statements achieved positive consensus (>75% in agreement), which formed 11 overarching consensus statements. These outline key components of home-based rehabilitation for survivors of stroke with severe disability including the structure and members of the team, as well as the skills and knowledge required.ConclusionThe consensus statements highlight the complexity of managing patients with severe stroke disability following discharge from hospital. This study has the potential to support the provision of services for this patient group, providing a benchmark for commissioners and clinicians as well as setting expectations for stroke survivors and their carers. What remains unknown is how many services currently offer this service to patients with severe disability.