title: Experiences of using information and communication technology within the first year after stroke - a grounded theory study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to identify how people 6-12 months after stroke were using and integrating information and communication technology (ICT) in their everyday lives.
  
  
  METHODS
  To capture the participants' experiences, one focus group and 14 individual interviews were carried out in Sweden and Denmark regarding the use of ICT in everyday life. The participants comprised 11 men and seven women aged 41-79 years. A grounded theory approach was used throughout the study and a constant comparative method was used in the analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five categories were identified from the analysis of the interviews with the participants: 1) Using the mobile phone to feel safe, 2) Staying connected with others, 3) Recreating everyday life, 4) A tool for managing everyday life, and 5) Overcoming obstacles for using ICT. From these categories one core category emerged: The drive to integrate ICT in everyday life after stroke.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  People with stroke had a strong drive to integrate ICT in order to manage and bring meaning to their everyday lives, although sometimes they needed support and adaptations. It is not only possible but also necessary to start using ICT in rehabilitation in order to support people's recovery and promote participation in everyday life after stroke. Implications for rehabilitation People with stroke have a strong drive for using information and communication technology in their everyday lives, although support and adaptations are needed. The recovery process of people with stroke could benefit from the use of ICT in the rehabilitation and ICT could possibly contribute to independence and promote participation in everyday life. Knowledge from this study can be used in the development of an ICT-based stroke rehabilitation model.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society , Karolinska Institutet , Huddinge , Sweden.
authors.forename: Martha
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2569-6772
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gustavsson
authors.affiliation: a Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society , Karolinska Institutet , Huddinge , Sweden.|b Department of Physiotherapy , Karolinska University Hospital , Stockholm , Sweden.
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3704-8887
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ytterberg
authors.affiliation: c Department of Physiotherapy Education , University College South Denmark , Esbjerg , Denmark.
authors.forename: Mille
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6230-1667
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nabsen Marwaa
authors.affiliation: a Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society , Karolinska Institutet , Huddinge , Sweden.
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7025-5226
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tham
authors.affiliation: a Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society , Karolinska Institutet , Huddinge , Sweden.
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6878-6394
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guidetti
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001292:Attitude to Computers; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D066296:Grounded Theory; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D063731:Mobile Applications; D012449:Safety; D000068997:Smartphone; D020521:Stroke / Q000523:psychology*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D013548:Sweden
keywords: ICT; Information and communication technology; Stroke; activities of daily living; grounded theory