A randomised controlled trial of a client-centred self-care intervention after stroke: a longitudinal pilot study.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this randomised controlled pilot study of a client-centred self-care intervention (CCSCI) in individuals with stroke was to study (i) the feasibility of the study design, (ii) effects up to 12 months on activities of daily living (ADL), use of informal care and home help services and the caregiver burden.


METHODS
An intervention group (IG) received CCSCI and a control group (CG) received ordinary training. Forty individuals with stroke (IG n = 19, CG n = 21) were included. Data were collected at 3, 6 and 12 months using established instruments.


RESULTS
After 12 months 24 people remained in the study (IG = 10, CG = 14). The data collection method was acceptable to most participants. At 12 months there were no differences in ADL, use of services or caregiver's burden. Both groups improved significantly and clinically important improvements were achieved by 80% in the IG and 71% in the CG.


CONCLUSIONS
The results should be interpreted with caution because of the small sample size and the large proportion of dropouts. However, the CCSCI appears promising as a way of recapturing self-care after stroke and a large randomised controlled trial is warranted, in which the present design and methods will be suitable with some modification.
Guidetti
Susanne
S
Division of Occupational Therapy, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden. susanne.guidetti@ki.se
Ytterberg
Charlotte
C
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009788:Occupational Therapy; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012648:Self Care; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome