In health research we often hear, and pay lip service to the term ‘patient centred‘. Many of us would probably be hard pressed to devise entirely patient centred studies but interest is building with both stroke rehabilaition and recovery practitioners and stroke survivors and their familes. "Take Charge’ is an impressive, novel, community-based self-directed rehabilitation intervention that helps a person with stroke to take charge of their own recovery.
In a previous randomised controlled trial, a single Take Charge session improved independence and health-related quality of life 12 months following stroke in Māori and Pacific New Zealanders. This current study confirms that Take Charge improved health-related quality of life and independence.
For the podcast interview Carmen Lahiff-Jenkins, Managing Editor of the International Journal of Stroke spoke to Dr Harry McNaughton who conducted the study with Vivian Fu, Mark Weatherall, Kathryn McPherson, William Taylor, Anna McRae, Tom Thomson, John Gommans, Geoff Green, Matire Harwood, Annemarei Ranta, Carl Hanger, and Judith Riley from the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand in the Stroke/Rehabilitation Research Department at Wellington Hospital.
Dr McNaughton and team tested the same intervention in three doses (zero, one or two sessions) in a larger study and in a broader non-Māori and non-Pacific population with stroke. We spoke to him about how this trial came about and how these really astounding results could change the way we look at some rehabilitation interventions.
To mark the launch of the new Stroke Connector online resource designed by the WSO to support SSO development and stroke survivors we hosted a webinar titled 'Taking Charge after stroke - a person centred approach to life after stroke', which explores the concept of taking charge in patient centred stroke rehabliitation. The Q and A session was hosted by Professor Julie Bernhardt, chair for the Stoke Recovery and Rehabilitation Round Table (SRRR). This intervention discussion is so important because it challenges the very foundations of recovery and rehabilitation care. A series of large stroke rehab trials has shown us that many of the interventions currently in use are actually not all that effective and may in the long run not help patients as expected. Take Charge is telling stroke patients to lead their own stroke rehab, and asking practitioners to listen more and talk less.
View the podcast here
View the webinar here
View published article here
Sam's Gift book
Dr McNaughton has also now set up a Facebook group for people with questions about the intervention and how they can get involved. Please visit Take Charge Facebook Group
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