Care and Rehabilitation Needs of Patients with Stroke-induced Facial Paralysis - Mixed Methods Research on Professionals’ Experiences

Abstract

Aim: to describe needs to develop the care and rehabilitation of patients living with stroke-induced facial paralysis. Design: Cross-sectional descriptive study based on quantitative and qualitative data Methods: Data was collected using an online survey sent to nurses and other healthcare professionals working with neurological patients in 15 hospitals in Finland. The quantitative data was analyzed using Webropol analytics and the qualitative data using inductive content analysis. Results: More than half of the participants found that they were not familiar with the care or rehabilitation for facial paralysis. The participants proposed (1) a clear, evidence based care and rehabilitation pathway; (2) interprofessional and profession-specific training to embed guidelines into practice; (3) Interprofessional collaboration; and (4) effective self-care and self-rehabilitation with the assistance of families and support persons. Conclusion: The creation of evidence-based standardized guidelines followed by interprofessional and profession-specific continuing education programs is necessary. Implications for the profession and patient care: Improving nurses’ and other healthcare professionals competencies through continuing education programs is essential to ensure patients with facial paralysis equal access to high quality care.