Considerations for developing complex post-stroke upper limb behavioural interventions: An international qualitative study

Abstract

Objective To simultaneously explore the perspectives and opinions of different invested participant groups on the important considerations for development of upper limb behavioural interventions that drive optimal post-stroke upper limb motor recovery. Design A qualitative descriptive study in a constructivist epistemology. Participants Purposively selected participant groups (preclinical research n = 9, clinical research n = 9, clinical experience n = 9 and lived experience n = 10). Setting Research participants were selected from top internationally published authors. Experiential participants were recruited internationally, through networks. Results Four themes were identified with embedded subthemes. Theme 1: ‘Clinical relevance should be the core of a “good” research question’ with two subthemes: ‘Breaking down silos: forging interdisciplinary research teams’, and ‘Beyond the pipeline: bench to bedside and back’; theme 2: ‘Balance restitution and compensation to maximise outcomes’ with three subthemes: ‘Good outcome: going beyond an outcome measure’, ‘Recovery is a puzzle: measure all the pieces’, and ‘Optimising capacity: knowing when and how’; theme 3: ‘Stroke demands personalised solutions’ with two subthemes: ‘Condition-specific considerations’, and ‘Person-specific considerations’; theme 4: ‘Upper limb recovery requires complex interventions’ with four subthemes: ‘Fuelling engagement’, ‘Content is crucial’, ‘Multidimensional dose’, and ‘Therapist sway’. Conclusions This study suggests that post-stroke upper limb motor interventions are the interactions of multiple intervention elements (e.g. dose and content) shaped by different contextual considerations (e.g. stroke and personal factors). Development of such interventions may need to consider both content and context of the intervention to drive optimal recovery.