Experience of physical activity in patients with stroke: A qualitative meta-synthesis

Background: Inadequate physical activity (PA) is increasingly common among stroke patients, we aim to comprehensively analyze the experience of stroke patients delivering physical activity, understand the obstacles and promoting factors of physical activity, and summarize clinical management strategies.

Methods: An electronic search of PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, ProQuest, SinoMed, CNKI, and WanFang Database was conducted for qualitative studies on the experience of PA in stroke patients. The review was appraised using the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology, the subsequent findings were synthesized via the Thomas and Harden approach and the credibility of the research results was evaluated by the CERqual tool.

Results: Six thousand five hundred forty-nine findings were yielded through the search, ultimately 11 studies were included through screening, a total of 194 stroke patients participated in the study, and 3 synthesized themes that emerged were identified: barriers to PA, facilitators to PA, and strategies to improve compliance with physical activity in stroke patients. All selected articles were of medium quality and all themes were of medium or high quality.

Conclusion: The experience of PA among stroke patients should be given more attention. Healthcare professionals should provide physical activity-related knowledge education, social support, personalized care, improved environments, and create more opportunities for PA. In the future, more tailored interventions should be carried out to develop PA habits and improve compliance.