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. 2016 Feb 2;6(2):e009243.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2015-009243.

Evaluation of the feasibility and acceptability of the 'Care for Stroke' intervention in India, a smartphone-enabled, carer-supported, educational intervention for management of disability following stroke

K Sureshkumar  1 , Gvs Murthy  1 , S Natarajan  2 , C Naveen  3 , S Goenka  4 , H Kuper  1
Affiliations

Evaluation of the feasibility and acceptability of the 'Care for Stroke' intervention in India, a smartphone-enabled, carer-supported, educational intervention for management of disability following stroke

K Sureshkumar et al. BMJ Open. .

Abstract

Objectives: (1) To identify operational issues encountered by study participants in using the 'Care for Stroke' intervention; (2) to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention.

Design: Mixed-methods research design.

Setting: Participant's home. Participants were selected from a tertiary hospital in Chennai, South India.

Participants: Sixty stroke survivors treated and discharged from the hospital, and their caregivers.

Intervention: 'Care for Stroke' is a smartphone-enabled, educational intervention for management of physical disabilities following stroke. It is delivered through a web-based, smartphone-enabled application. It includes inputs from stroke rehabilitation experts in a digitised format.

Methods: Evaluation of the intervention was completed in two phases. In the first phase, the preliminary intervention was field-tested with 30 stroke survivors for 2 weeks. In the second phase, the finalised intervention was provided to a further 30 stroke survivors to be used in their homes with support from their carers for 4 weeks.

Primary outcomes: (1) operational difficulties in using the intervention; (2) feasibility and acceptability of the intervention in an Indian setting. Disability and dependency were assessed as secondary outcomes.

Results: Field-testing identified operational difficulties related to connectivity, video-streaming, picture clarity, quality of videos, and functionality of the application. The intervention was reviewed, revised and finalised before pilot-testing. Findings from the pilot-testing showed that the 'Care for Stroke' intervention was feasible and acceptable. Over 90% (n=27) of the study participants felt that the intervention was relevant, comprehensible and useful. Over 96% (n=29) of the stroke survivors and all the caregivers (100%, n=30) rated the intervention as excellent and very useful. These findings were supported by qualitative interviews.

Conclusions: Evaluation indicated that the 'Care for Stroke' intervention was feasible and acceptable in an Indian context. An assessment of effectiveness is now warranted.

Keywords: GERIATRIC MEDICINE; PUBLIC HEALTH; REHABILITATION MEDICINE.

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