Stroke Clinicians’ Priorities for Stroke Research
Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to identify research questions perceived
as important by clinicians who treat stroke survivors in New South Wales
(NSW), Australia. Methods: A cross-sectional, 3-round
Delphi survey method was used. Participants invited to respond in Round
I included stroke researchers (n=26); Rounds II and III included stroke
clinicians (n=470) identified from NSW Health Stroke Services and/or NSW
Rural Stroke Service databases. Participants in Round I were asked to
identify stroke research questions of the highest priority; participants
in Rounds II and III then rated these research questions on both
importance and feasibility using a 5-point Likert scale.
Results: Responses were received from 14 expert stroke
researchers during Round I (54%), 38 stroke clinicians (8%) in Round II,
and 56 stroke clinicians (12%) in Round III. Research topics rated as
“very important” were interventions that target life-long
rehabilitation, best methods for providing post-discharge
rehabilitation, and delivery of physical rehabilitation.
Conclusions: Clinicians who provide day-to-day stroke care
perceive that the effectiveness of rehabilitation interventions and
delivery require investigation as a key priority.
Citation:
Lannin N, Ada L, Lindley R, Longworth M, McCluskey A, Middleton S.
Stroke Clinicians’ Priorities for Stroke Research. The Internet
Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice. Oct 2012. Volume 10
Number 4.
