Background/aims:
Leisure participation declines following stroke, negatively impacting quality of life. Despite its value, clinical guidelines provide little guidance on how to address this important rehabilitation goal. This study mapped current allied health practices against an established leisure rehabilitation model and explored the clinical reasoning behind delivering leisure rehabilitation.
Methods:
This mixed-methods study included an online survey and focus group interviews with allied health clinicians. The survey identified the assessment and intervention practices used to address leisure goals. Semi-structured focus groups further explored the survey findings. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to identify themes, and intervention content was mapped to the Leisure Ability Model, providing a theoretical framework for conceptualising leisure rehabilitation.
Results:
The survey included 131 participants from 12 allied health disciplines, with a further 15 clinicians (occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech pathologists) participating in the focus groups. The survey found that clinicians give greater focus to addressing underlying impairments, potentially missing the opportunity to address other important components of leisure rehabilitation. Preliminary analysis of focus group data provides further insights into how leisure rehabilitation is conceptualised by clinicians, highlighting variability in practice as well as key challenges in providing leisure rehabilitation for survivors of stroke.
Conclusion:
This study provides important insights into current leisure rehabilitation practices in Australia, highlighting key challenges and opportunities. Together with stroke survivor perspectives from a companion study, these findings will inform the co-design of a feasible and tailored leisure rehabilitation intervention.