World Café- a community conversation: a Canadian perspective on stroke survivors needs for community integration

ABSTRACT

Background

Stroke is an acute condition that requires immediate care and long-term community-based chronic care supports. Communities vary in their ability to support the complex needs of this population.

Objectives

To bring stroke recovery stakeholders together to discuss the needs of community-based stroke recovery and develop possible solutions across one province in Canada.

Methods

The participatory research approach of the World Café was used to explore topics related to community-based stroke recovery. Three World Cafés were held in three communities, including rural, urban-multicultural, and indigenous communities. Sixty-one stakeholders participated in this study. The data was analyzed following an inductive approach for all three Word Cafés.

Results

Four main themes were revealed from the data. First, Individual Needs, but Holistic Care encompassed the idea that stroke survivors’ needs are complex and changing. Second, Whole of the Community indicated that all the people in stroke survivors’ communities should be considered when designing solutions. Third, Transition in Care focused on the needs and solutions during the transition from hospital to community. Lastly, participants emphasized that better Connection, Collaboration, and Communication are needed among all stakeholders.

Conclusions

While some similarities in needs and solutions were identified for stroke survivors across three diverse communities, differences between them were also reported. Approaches to enhance better communication among all stakeholders and facilitate a continuous transition from hospital to community are needed. Co-creating solutions with each local community should be considered as individual needs, and challenges are specific to each community.

KEYWORDS:

• Community integration
• stroke survivors
• health care
• quality of life

Data availability statement

Notes taken by the note takers during each World Café are available upon request. Audio files are not available because of the risk of participant identification.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the: Vancouver Foundation under Field of Interest Participatory Action Research Convene grant [FOI18-1322]; Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar Award [to BMS].