Abstract NS1: Mobile Health Technology Is Feasible And Effective For Self-management Support Among Underserved Stroke Survivors

Background and Purpose: Self-management Support (SMS) helps stroke survivors control risk factors to prevent second stroke. Little is known about feasibility and effectiveness of using mobile health technology (MHT) for SMS among underserved stroke survivors. The investigators studied feasibility and effectiveness of using a video teleconference mobile application to deliver a SMS program to underserved, hard to reach stroke survivors. Methods: The Video teleconference Self-management TO Prevent stroke (V-STOP) program was evaluated using longitudinal design with measurements at baseline, immediately post intervention (6 weeks), intermediate (12 weeks), and at study end (18 weeks). Medically underserved stroke survivors with uncontrolled stroke risk factors were included. Feasibility was assessed as time in intervention, telehealth satisfaction, stroke knowledge and SMS effectiveness were measured as psychological (depression, PHQ-8; anxiety, GAD-7), social (community integration questionnaire), and stroke self-management (goal attainment) outcomes. Generalized estimating equations were used with site and time in intervention as covariates. Results: V-STOP was successfully delivered to 106 participants using MHT over 2 years. Mean age was 59.3 (±10.9), majority were white (82.1%), males (54.3%), not living alone (85.9%), married (52.8%), with low annual income (<$25,000) ( 58.5%), and health insurance (59.4%). Program feasibility indicated mean number of V-STOP sessions were 4.6 (±1.8), with 4.4 (±2.0) hours of total time for the intervention. Overall satisfaction at 6 weeks with V-STOP (4.8(±0.5)) and telehealth (4.7(±0.5)) was high. Stroke knowledge was high at 12 weeks (9.6(±0.7)). SMS effectiveness indicated improvement in psychological outcomes at 6, 12, and 18 weeks from baseline; depression (18 weeks - β = 0.64 (CI 0.49-0.84)) and anxiety (18 weeks - β = 0.66 (CI 0.51-0.85)). Community integration improved by 18 weeks - β = 1.08 (CI 1.01-1.16) and stroke self-management also improved long term at 12 and 18 weeks (β = 0.92 (CI 0.84-0.99). Conclusion: MHT is feasible to deliver SMS to underserved stroke survivors. It improves psycho-social and self-management goal setting and goal attainment outcomes.

Family Caregivers’ Experiences and Coping Strategies in Managing Stroke Patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Exploration Study

Background: Stroke is a chronic disease that requires stroke survivors to be supported long-term by their families. This is especially because of the inaccessibility to post-stroke rehabilitation outside hospitals. The Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis and the pandemic restrictions in Malaysia are expected to exponentially increase the demand from family caregivers in supporting stroke survivors. Thus, this study aims to explore the burden, experience, and coping mechanism of the family caregivers supporting stroke survivors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: A phenomenological qualitative study was conducted from November 2020 to June 2021 in Malaysia. A total of 13 respondents were recruited from two public rehabilitation centers in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. In-depth interviews were conducted with the participants. Comprehensive representation of perspectives from the respondents was achieved through purposive sampling. The interviews were conducted in the Kelantanese dialect, recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Three themes on burdens and experiences were identified. They were worsening pre-existing issues, emerging new issues, and fewer burdens and challenges. Two themes on coping strategies were also identified. They were problem-focused engagement and emotion-focused engagement. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the entire system of stroke management. While family caregivers mostly faced the extra burden through different experiences, they also encountered some positive impacts from the pandemic. The integrated healthcare system, especially in the era of digitalization, is an important element to establish the collaborative commitment of multiple stakeholders to compensate burden and sustain the healthcare of stroke survivors during the pandemic.

Startle Increases the Incidence of Anticipatory Muscle Activations but Does Not Change the Task-Specific Muscle Onset for Patients After Subacute Stroke

Objectives: To demonstrate the task-specificities of anticipatory muscle activations (AMAs) among different forward-reaching tasks and to explore the StartleReact Effect (SE) on AMAs in occurrence proportions, AMA onset latency or amplitude within these tasks in both healthy and stroke population.Methods: Ten healthy and ten stroke subjects were recruited. Participants were asked to complete the three forward-reaching tasks (reaching, reaching to grasp a ball or cup) on the left and right hand, respectively, with two different starting signals (warning-Go, 80 dB and warning-startle, 114 dB). The surface electromyography of anterior deltoid (AD), flexor carpi radialis (FCR), and extensor carpi radialis (ECR) on the moving side was recorded together with signals from bilateral sternocleidomastoid muscles (SCM), lower trapezius (LT), latissimus dorsi (LD), and tibialis anterior (TA). Proportions of valid trials, the incidence of SE, AMA incidence of each muscle, and their onset latency and amplitude were involved in analyses. The differences of these variables across different move sides (healthy, non-paretic, and paretic), normal or startle conditions, and the three tasks were explored. The ECR AMA onset was selected to further explore the SE on the incidence of AMAs.Results: Comparisons between move sides revealed a widespread AMA dysfunction in subacute stroke survivors, which was manifested as lower AMA onset incidence, changed onset latency, and smaller amplitude of AMAs in bilateral muscles. However, a significant effect of different tasks was only observed in AMA onset latency of muscle ECR (F = 3.56, p = 0.03, η2p = 0.011), but the significance disappeared in the subsequent analysis of the stroke subjects only (p &gt; 0.05). Moreover, the following post-hoc comparison indicated significant early AMA onsets of ECR in task cup when comparing with reach (p &lt; 0.01). For different stimuli conditions, a significance was only revealed on shortened premotor reaction time under startle for all participants (F = 60.68, p &lt; 0.001, ηp2 = 0.056). Furthermore, stroke survivors had a significantly lower incidence of SE than healthy subjects under startle (p &lt; 0.01). But all performed a higher incidence of ECR AMA onset (p &lt; 0.05) than with normal signal. In addition, the incidence of ECR AMAs of both non-paretic and paretic sides could be increased significantly via startle (p ≤ 0.02).Conclusions: Healthy people have task-specific AMAs of muscle ECR when they perform forward-reaching tasks with different hand manipulations. However, this task-specific adjustment is lost in subacute stroke survivors. SE can improve the incidence of AMAs for all subjects in the forward-reaching tasks involving precision manipulations, but not change AMA onset latency and amplitude.

Prevalence, Severity, and Predictors of Poststroke Depression in a Prospective Cohort of Jordanian Patients

Poststroke depression (PSD) is common and remains a significant risk factor for poor outcomes. This prospective study is aimed at assessing the prevalence, severity, and predictors of PSD among Jordanian stroke survivors. A total of 151 patients who were consequently admitted to a tertiary teaching hospital with ischemic or hemorrhagic strokes were enrolled. Participants were screened on admission for premorbid depression using the PHQ-9 questionnaire; then, screening for PSD was repeated one and three months after stroke using the same tool. Depression prevalence at each screening was reported, and logistic regression analysis was conducted to evaluate for significant predictors. PHQ-9 scores suggestive of depression were reported by 15%, 24.83%, and 17.39% of respondents on admission and after one and three months, respectively. Scores suggesting severe depression were reported by 0.71%, 2.13%, and 6.52% of respondents, respectively. Significant predictors of PSD were having chronic kidney disease, current smoking status, moderate or severe disability (mRS score) at stroke onset, and severe dependence (BI) after one month ( p values 0.007, 0,002, 0.014, and 0.031, respectively). Patients with secondary and high school education levels were less likely to get depression compared with illiterate patients ( p 0.042). This study showed that nearly one in four Jordanian stroke survivors experienced PSD after one month. In contrast, while the overall PSD prevalence declined towards the end of follow-up period, patients who remained depressed showed a tendency towards higher PSD severity.