Contextual factors that shape recovery after stroke in Malaysia

Abstract

Purpose: A stroke is a sudden event which may leave individuals and their families ill-prepared to deal with the resultant disability. Several contextual factors can influence the recovery process. These factors, internal and external, exist interactively in the lived experiences of the survivors. The limited availability of rehabilitation centres that are located in urban centres meant that recovery predominately occurred outside of the biomedical health and instead relied upon the resources available to individuals and their families.

Methods: A qualitative approach with data from in-depth interviews and observations were used to identify contextual factors that shaped recovery following stroke in a community. Twenty-seven individuals with stroke were drawn from a health and demographic surveillance system in Malaysia.

Results: Hope and optimism, coping strategies, motivation and support from family and friends, and the use of alternative and complementary medicine shaped the process of recovery within a context where infrastructure is extremely limited.

Conclusion: The identification of factors that facilitate the recovery process provides a background in which health care providers can utilise to improve their understanding of the stroke experience. Such understanding could be instrumental in aiding health professionals to offer the most effective help to their clients.

Implications for rehabilitation

• Identification of contextual factors provides a background for the understanding of the stroke experience.

• Incorporation of religion into rehabilitation could support and maintain hope in recovery for the survivors and aid acceptance.

• A collaboration of healthcare professionals with traditional medicine therapists may prove beneficial for the rehabilitation of stroke survivors in Malaysia.

Keywords:

• Stroke
• recovery
• hope and optimism
• coping strategies
• family support
• complementary and alternative medicine

Acknowledgements

The study was funded through the Australian Research Council (Discovery Project Scheme, project number DP140101995). Data collection was undertaken at the Monash SEACO HDSS technology research platform. The authors would like to express their appreciation to the SEACO Field Team and members of the SEACO Scientific Advisory Group from the Malaysian Ministry of Health. SEACO is funded by the Monash University Malaysia Campus; the Office of the Vice Provost Research, Monash University Australia; the office of the Deputy Dean Research, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University Australia; The Faculty of Arts, Monash University Australia, and the Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia. SEACO is an associate member of the INDEPTH Network.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict of interests.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Australian Research Council Discovery Project Scheme [DP140101995].