Loading...
Assessment of sensory impairment of the upper limb post-stroke by occupational therapists within the acute setting : A mixed methods study exploring current clinical practice
Byrne, Danielle Cahill, Liana S. Barr, Christopher George, Stacey
Byrne, Danielle
Cahill, Liana S.
Barr, Christopher
George, Stacey
Abstract
Introduction:
Sensory impairment of the upper limb is common after stroke and negatively impacts a stroke survivor’s recovery. The acute phase is a critical time for the identification of post-stroke somatosensory impairments and occupational therapists have a key role in the acute stroke setting. Sensory assessment and treatment practices of occupational therapists working in acute stroke settings are largely unknown. This study aims to describe current clinical practice and identify the barriers and enablers for the assessment of sensory impairment in patients post stroke within acute stroke units.
Method:
A mixed-methods approach was utilised, with an Australian national cross-sectional online survey of occupational therapists (n = 85) and state-based focus groups (n = 2). Descriptive analyses and thematic analysis were conducted.
Findings:
The majority of clinicians (78%) use non-standardised measures to assess for somatosensory impairment. Three qualitative themes were identified: acute setting contextual factors, individual patient characteristics and priorities, and clinician knowledge and perceived benefits.
Conclusion:
Occupational therapists working within acute stroke units are aware of the importance of assessing sensory impairment of the upper limb post stroke. However, the majority use non-standardised approaches and called for a standardised quick-to-administer tool kit that is readily available in acute stroke units.
Keywords
assessment, occupational therapy, stroke, somatosensory disorders, evidence-based practice
Date
2023
Type
Journal article
Journal
British Journal of Occupational Therapy
Book
Volume
86
Issue
12
Page Range
830-838
Article Number
ACU Department
School of Allied Health
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Collections
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
Published as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
License
CC BY 4.0
File Access
Open
Notes
© The Author(s) 2023.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).