Adapting stroke rehabilitation during the COVID-19 pandemic: Exploring the experiences of patients and families of an Early Supported Discharge telerehabilitation programme

Purpose: To describes stroke survivors (SS) and carer’s experiences of an Early Supported Discharge (ESD) programme delivered via telerehabilitation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Purposive sampling was conducted to recruit stroke survivors and carers who participated in telerehabilitation with a regional ESD team. Semi-structured interviews were conducted online. Interviews were transcribed and coded. Qualitative data analysis was conducted. Results: Eleven people were recruited including individual stroke survivors (n=4), carers (n=1) and family dyads (n=3). Four major themes were identified: (1) Channels of communication and enabling relationships (2) The importance of the daily rehabilitation routine, (3) Hands-off training and technology, (4) Virtual and non-tactile reality. Open channels of telecommunication were central to ensuring continuity of care and imparting information and education. Conclusion: Despite the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, most participants described positive experiences of ‘virtual and non-tactile’ video enabled rehabilitation. Telerehabilitation enabled stroke survivors and therapists to build relationships which fostered engagement and supported rehabilitation. Further work is required to examine upscaling telerehabilitation use beyond the pandemic and to better understand key factors regarding patient selection.