Current Evidence-Based Practices for Acute Stroke Rehabilitation

Abstract

Every year more than 795,000 people living within the United States have a stroke (Tsao, et al., 2023). With the prevalence, complexity, and wide variety of symptoms a person can experience following a stroke, there is continual research advancements on the best practices for the acute stroke patient (American Stroke Association, n.d.). The purpose of this doctoral capstone project was to research current evidence-based practices and develop educational resources for the acute rehabilitation team to expand their knowledge on the best practices that benefit acute stroke patients. Through the needs assessment, it was discovered that the site had a goal to increase knowledge on the current evidence-based rehabilitation practices that are relevant for acute stroke patients. Following a systematic review of the current literature, four resources were developed, and an in-service presentation was delivered to the acute rehabilitation team to guide the effective utilization of these materials in clinical practice. The acute rehabilitation team supported the use of these resources as they reported an increase in confidence and knowledge in researching and implementing current evidence-based practices in the future with acute stroke patients following the in-service presentation. The results indicate that continued research is recommended to further explore effective strategies for translating evidence-based practices into clinical practice by occupational therapists working with stroke patients in the acute care setting.