| Explore the experience of the stroke survivors and their caregivers in accessing stroke rehabilitation services | What impact does a stroke cause in the life of a stroke survivor, and his/her family and caregiver? How does an individual affected by stroke and his/her family organise themselves to manage the effects of stroke? What measures will stroke survivors and their caregivers take in order to manage disability following stroke? What is the general understanding of the stroke survivor and his/her caregiver about stroke rehabilitation? What kind of stroke rehabilitation services are generally available to stroke survivors, from where and from whom? At what phase of recovery are these rehabilitation services available to stroke survivors? How do stroke survivors usually access stroke rehabilitation services? What is the general perception of stroke survivors and their caregivers on the quality of available rehabilitation services? What are the difficulties faced by stroke survivors in accessing rehabilitation services? What is the cost of obtaining stroke rehabilitation services and what is the impact of this increased expenditure on the family?
| Survey using structured questionnaire and in-depth interviews with stroke survivors and their caregivers |
| Assess the information needs of patients with stroke and their carers | What information do stroke survivors and the caregivers need to manage disability following a stroke? What kind of information is available to them, from where and from whom? At what point of time or phase of recovery (acute, post-acute, rehab, long-term care), is this information available to them? What is the quality of available information (regarding correctness, relevance, reliability and understandability)?
| Survey using structured questionnaire and in-depth interviews with stroke survivors and their caregivers |
| Assess the rehabilitation needs of patients with stroke | What are the various kinds of disability experienced by stroke survivors following stroke? What are the various rehabilitation needs (physical, psychological, social) of stroke survivors and their caregivers? What kinds of rehabilitation services are required to address the needs of stroke survivors and their caregivers? What kind of rehabilitation services would enable stroke survivors to be functionally independent following stroke?
| Survey using structured questionnaire and in-depth interviews with stroke survivors and their caregivers |
| Assess the barriers and facilitators for rehabilitation of stroke survivors | What are the present policies and programmes for rehabilitation of persons with disabilities especially following stroke? How are these rehabilitation policies and programmes implemented? Are there adequate resources (human resources, material and financial resources) for rehabilitation of stroke survivors? How are these rehabilitation services delivered to stroke survivors? What are the constraints in providing rehabilitation services to stroke survivors? What can be done to address these constraints? What are the facilitating factors for provision of rehabilitation services for stroke survivors?
| In-depth interviews with health professionals providing stroke rehabilitation services in hospitals |
| Assess the experience and comfort of the stroke survivors and their caregivers in using Smartphone technology | Has the stroke survivor and/or caregiver ever used a Smartphone? What was their experience in using Smartphone technology? How long and for what purpose were they using the Smartphone? What abilities are essential/required to use a Smartphone comfortably? Will a Smartphone-enabled carer-supported education programme be useful for stroke survivors? What are the advantages and disadvantages of such interventions?
| In-depth interviews with stroke survivors and their caregivers |
| Recommendations for action | What are the potential rehabilitation strategies to facilitate functioning, participation and independent living among stroke survivors? What are the resources required to implement the rehabilitation strategy? Is the strategy feasible and sustainable? How can the proposed rehabilitation strategy be implemented and made sustainable? What could be the potential barriers/problems for implementation? What are the possible solutions to address the implementation barriers?
| In-depth interviews with health professionals providing stroke rehabilitation services in hospitals |