Patient-Reported Outcomes and Long-Term Needs in Stroke Rehabilitation

Stroke survivors frequently experience a complex array of ongoing physical, cognitive and psychosocial challenges that persist long after discharge from acute care. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have emerged as a vital complement to clinician-reported measures, capturing personal perspectives on functional status, quality of life and unmet needs. Long-term rehabilitation needs extend beyond motor recovery to encompass communication, mood regulation, fatigue management and social reintegration. Socioeconomic factors such as income, insurance coverage and social support strongly influence access to services and the fulfilment of rehabilitation goals. Validated tools and structured assessment checklists are increasingly deployed to identify individualized needs, guide care planning and monitor progress. Incorporating patient voice into outcome measurement not only informs person-centred interventions but also supports value-based care by aligning services with what matters most to survivors. Global efforts to adapt assessment instruments to diverse cultural and healthcare settings further underscore the centrality of PROs in shaping efficient, equitable and sustainable stroke rehabilitation pathways.

Research from Nature Portfolio

A large cross-sectional study among middle-aged and older adults in a major Chinese municipality quantified unmet rehabilitation needs and their determinants. Over 90 percent of participants reported ongoing medical rehabilitation requirements, while only a quarter had access to auxiliary equipment. Daily care, social participation supports and recreational therapy were also widely unmet. Low income, absence of medical insurance, multiple comorbidities and greater disability emerged as independent predictors of unmet needs. The findings highlight the persistent financial and structural barriers to comprehensive post-stroke rehabilitation and underscore the importance of flexible service models that prioritise vulnerable subgroups.

Patient-Reported Outcomes and Long-Term Needs in Stroke Rehabilitation publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in patient-reported outcomes and long-term needs in stroke rehabilitation across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Patient-reported outcome (PRO): A measure of health status or quality of life directly reported by the patient without interpretation by clinicians or others.

Unmet needs: Expressed rehabilitation or support requirements of stroke survivors that are not fulfilled by existing healthcare or social services.

Scoping review: A systematic mapping of literature to identify key concepts, evidence gaps and types of research in a defined area.

Cross-sectional study: An observational design that assesses a population at a single point in time to examine prevalence and associations.

References

1. Unmet needs for rehabilitation service of middle-aged and older adult residents in Chengdu, Sichuan, China: A cross-sectional study. Scientific Reports (2023).
2. Information needs of people who have suffered a stroke or TIA and their preferred approaches of receiving health information: A scoping review. European Stroke Journal (2024).
3. Evaluation of a Digital Previsit Tool for Identifying Stroke-Related Health Problems Before a Follow-Up Visit (Part 1): Survey Study. JMIR Human Factors (2024).
4. Adaptation and validation of the Longer-term Unmet Needs after Stroke (LUNS) monitoring tool in Sri Lanka. BMC Public Health (2023).