The challenge

Stroke is a devastating condition that affects residual impairments, changes in function and participation for the patient. Typically, there is an impact on emotion, identity, and adaptation to stroke. Moreover, stroke impacts family relationships, roles, and dynamics.

Quality of life is one of the best indicators for the success of rehabilitation and the long-term outcome for the patient

How the patient perceives their quality of life has an effect on how well they recover. Social and formal supports influence an individual’s perception of quality of life. Generally, positive support from family members can maximise patients’ outcome and alleviate caregiving burden. Family caregiver’s quality of life is dependent on how well they are supported along the caregiving journey.

While there are quantitative studies assessing a person’s quality of life, there are fewer qualitative studies exploring the quality of life of individuals with stroke and their family caregivers through their lived experiences. Typically, studies have been carried out in other countries, while there are no published studies conducted in Singapore to the best of our knowledge. To ensure relevancy, it is imperative to understand the impact of stroke and quality of life related to recovery in a localised context.

The proposed solution

This study will explore the quality of life of individuals who have sustained a stroke and that of their caregivers, through understanding their lived experiences and perceived unmet needs using a phenomenology approach

• Recruitment of participants in this cross-sectional study will be stratified according to the time-points after stroke (1, 3, 6 and 12 months).
• Participants will be recruited from Ang Mo Kio-Thye Hua Kwan Hospital and other community settings. Each of the time points will recruit a maximum of 8 individuals with stroke and 8 caregivers or until data is saturated..
• Semi-structured and in-depth interviews will be conducted with the individual with stroke and their caregivers separately.
• Thematic analysis will be conducted.

Results from this study will shed light on the lived experiences and unmet needs from the perspectives of individuals with stroke and their caregivers in the Singapore context. This can help to facilitate a better experience on the recovery trajectory not just in terms of functional outcomes but also the psychosocial component.

Publication

• Liang, P., Lie, E., Ibrahim, M., Chan, M. Y., Chua, K. S. G., & Kong, K. H. (2020). A Meta-aggregative Review of Qualitative Studies on the Lived Experiences of Stroke. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 101(11), e112.
• Liang, P., Chan, M. Y., Ibrahim, M., Lie, E., Chua, K. S. G., & Kong, K. H. (2021). “The hardest thing I’ve experienced”: A meta-aggregative review of the lived experiences of stroke. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 68(S1), 38. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1630.12737
• Liang, P., Chan, M. Y., & Ibrahim, M. (2021). Life After Stroke During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 102(10), e49. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2021.07.608