Interdisciplinary Approaches to Facilitate Return-to-Driving and Return-to-Work in Mild Stroke: A Position Paper

Publication date: Available online 6 March 2018
Source:Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Author(s): Suzanne Perea Burns, Jaclyn Schwartz, Shannon Scott, Hannes Devos, Mark Kovic, Ickpyo Hong, Abiodun Akinwuntan
Adults with mild stroke face substantial challenges resuming valued roles in the community. The term "mild" provides false representation of the lived experience for many adults with mild stroke who may continue to experience persistent challenges and unmet needs. Rehabilitation practitioners can identify and consequently intervene to facilitate improved independence, participation, and quality of life by facilitating function and reducing the burden of lost abilities among adults with mild stroke. The [blind task force] identified two important, and often interdependent, goals that frequently arise among adults living with mild stroke that must be addressed to facilitate improved community reintegration: (1) return-to-driving and (2) return-to-work. Adults with mild stroke may not be receiving adequate rehabilitative services to facilitate community reintegration for several reasons but primarily because current practice models are not designed to meet such needs of this specific population. Thus, the [blind task force] convened to review current literature and practice trends to 1) identify opportunities based on the evidence of assessment and interventions, for return-to-driving and return-to-work, and 2) identify gaps in the literature that must be addressed to take advantage of the opportunities. Based on findings, the task force proposes a new interdisciplinary practice model for adults with mild stroke that are too often discharged from the hospital to the community without needed services to enable successful return to driving and work.



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