Tele-Rehabilitation: Redefining Stroke Early Supported Discharge During the COVID-19 Pandemic: stroke

Aims To explore the usability of tele-rehabilitation among stroke survivors receiving Early Supported Discharge (ESD) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A cross-sectional study using purposive sampling was conducted to recruit stroke survivors (18) who engaged in at least three tele-rehabilitation sessions with a regional ESD team between MarchJuly 2020. Patients completed a modified five-point Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ), online or via post. Responses were scored from one (strongly disagree) to five (strongly agree). Results In total, 27 (79%; 27/34) patients completed the survey. The median age (±interquartile range) was 67 (±12). The majority were male and had suffered an ischemic, left hemispheric stroke. The overall median TUQ score was 4 (±1). The highest rated subcategory was ‘usefulness’ (4.3±1); and the lowest was ‘reliability’ (3.67±0.67). Patients aged 70 had a significantly lower total median score (4±0) than those <70 (5±1), p=0.04. However, this related exclusively to the ‘ease of use and learnability’ domain (p=0.03). No statistically significant difference by age was detected in other domains. Conclusion Stroke survivors receiving ESD during this pandemic found tele-rehabilitation acceptable. Older stroke survivors (70) were equally satisfied, suggesting age is not a barrier to tele-rehabilitation but they may require support to improve ease of use.