Barriers and Facilitators to Engagement in Rehabilitation among Stroke Survivors: An Integrative Review

Background Approximately 795,000 Americans experience a new or recurrent stroke every year, and it remains one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Patient engagement in rehabilitation and physical activity has been associated with improvements in functional outcomes during inpatient rehabilitation. There is limited knowledge of the barriers and facilitators to patients' engagement in stroke rehabilitation. Methods An integrative review with a systematic approach was conducted to explore the current available literature on barriers and facilitators to patient engagement in stroke inpatient rehabilitation. Results Twenty-five studies were included in the final review. Four major themes described the identified barriers and facilitators: (1) stroke impact, (2) self-efficacy, (3) therapeutic relationship, and (4) motivating factors. Individualized patient-centered goal setting was a commonly studied intervention found to successfully increase engagement. Conclusion Engagement in stroke rehabilitation is associated with improved patient outcomes. Using the identified themes from this review, nurses can develop focused interventions aimed at reducing barriers and increasing stroke patient engagement.