Article

Our purpose was to explore the impact of functional electrical stimulation (FES),
as applied in the management of dropped foot, on patients with chronic stroke and
their carers. A qualitative phenomenological study was undertaken. Participants
were recruited from the Lothian FES clinic. Data were collected by using
semistructured face-to-face interviews and analysed by using the framework of
interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Thirteen patients and nine carers
consented to participate in the study. The overarching theme that emerged from
the data was that "FES impacted on important aspects of my life." Four subthemes
were identified: 1) "Walking with FES is much better"; 2) "FES helped regain
control of life"; 3) "Feeling good comes with using FES"; and 4) "FES is not
perfect but it is of value."
This study provides insights into the perceptions of
patients and carers of the impact of FES. These results have implications for
clinicians delivering an FES service for the management of dropped foot after stroke.

Langue : ANGLAIS