Article

Self-management has become an important concept in stroke
rehabilitation; however, the way that people post-stroke reflect on the concept
of self-management has not yet been studied. This qualitative study explored the
reflections of persons post-stroke on self-management, readiness and needs in
self-management support. METHODS: Focus group interviews were conducted with 16 community living stroke survivors (53-84 years of age). Both verbal questions and
photo elicitations were used to collect data. A constant comparative framework
was used for the analysis. RESULT: Participants described their self-management
as a complex, long-term, personal learning process. Post-discharge, participants
were not ready to self-manage. Aside from individual self-management,
participants also mentioned co-management with relatives. Relatives could provide
support, but they also limited the development of participants' self-management
skills. Participants missed having professional support post-discharge and would
have appreciated additional psychological and emotional support in their process
of self-management. CONCLUSION: Self-management post-stroke is complex. Stroke
self-management programmes may be optimised when integrating role and emotional
management in addition to medical management. Although readiness to self-manage
differs among individuals, support should start as soon as possible and continue
post-discharge in people's personal environments. Self-management programmes
should not only focus on self-management of stroke survivors but also on
co-management with relatives.

Langue : ANGLAIS