Research Article: TeleRehabilitation with Aims to Improve Lower extremity recovery in community-dwelling individuals who have had a stroke: protocol for a multisite, parallel group, assessor-blinded, randomised attention-controlled trial
Abstract:
Introduction Telerehabilitation is an accessible service delivery model that may support innovative lower extremity rehabilitation programmes that extend the stroke recovery continuum into the community. Unfortunately, there is limited evidence on the provision of exercises for lower extremity recovery after stroke delivered using telerehabilitation. In response, we developed the TeleRehabilitation with Aims to Improve Lower extremity recovery poststroke (TRAIL) programme, a 4-week progressive exercise and self-management intervention delivered synchronously using video-conferencing technology. Our primary hypothesis is that individual within 1-year poststroke who participate in TRAIL will experience significantly greater improvements in functional mobility than individuals in an attention-controlled education programme (EDUCATION). Methods and analysis In this multisite, parallel group, assessor-blinded randomised attention-controlled trial, 96 community-living stroke survivors within 1-year poststroke will be recruited from five sites (Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, London and Halifax, Canada) from the CanStroke Recovery Trials Platform which is a network of Canadian hospital sites that are affiliated with academic institutions to facilitate participant recruitment and quality trial practices. Participants will be randomised on a 1:1 basis to TRAIL or EDUCATION. Participants randomised to TRAIL will receive eight telerehabilitation sessions where they will perform exercises and receive self-management support to improve lower extremity recovery from a TRAIL physical therapist. The primary outcome will be measured using the Timed Up and Go. Secondary outcomes include lower extremity muscle strength, functional balance, motor impairment, balance self-efficacy, health-related quality of life and health service use for our economic evaluation. Measurements will be taken at baseline, immediately after the intervention, 3-month and 6-month postintervention. Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval for this research has been obtained by all participating sites. All study participants will provide their informed consent prior to enrolling them in the study. Findings from this trial will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at international scientific meetings. Trial registration number ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04908241 .
Introduction:
Much has been done to improve survival rates after stroke 1 and return individuals to independent community living. 2 Longer-term care and rehabilitation after hospital discharge remain underdeveloped, 3 with stroke survivors receiving minimal to no follow-up rehabilitation after returning to the community. 4 Increasing demands on the limited service capacity of our healthcare system have led to suboptimal recovery of lower extremity function among individuals with stroke. This has resulted in greater disability…
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