The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) as Routine Practice in Community-Based Rehabilitation: A Retrospective Chart Review.

Objective: To investigate whether patients experienced improved functional outcomes as a result of their admission to rehabilitation and to identify whether the service provided effective, patient-centered and goal-directed rehabilitation.

Design: Retrospective chart review of admission and discharge data from patients accessing the service between 2011 and 2019.

Setting: Community-based interdisciplinary rehabilitation service.

Age-Related Disparities in the Quality of Stroke Care and Outcomes in Rehabilitation Hospitals: The Australian National Audit.

Introduction: Stroke affects all ages. Despite increased incidence in those <65 years, little is known about age-based differences in inpatient rehabilitation management and outcomes.

Objectives: To investigate management and outcomes, comparing younger (<65 years) and older (≥65 years) patients with stroke, who received inpatient rehabilitation.

Effectiveness of interventions to improve rates of intravenous thrombolysis using behaviour change wheel functions: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Despite being one of the few evidence-based treatments for acute ischemic stroke, intravenous thrombolysis has low implementation rates-mainly due to a narrow therapeutic window and the health system changes required to deliver it within the recommended time. This systematic review and meta-analyses explores the differential effectiveness of intervention strategies aimed at improving the rates of intravenous thrombolysis based on the number and type of behaviour change wheel functions employed.

Method: The following databases were searched: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL and SCOPUS.

Thrombolysis implementation intervention and clinical outcome: a secondary analysis of a cluster randomized trial.

Background: Multiple studies have attempted to increase the rate of intravenous thrombolysis for ischemic stroke using interventions to promote adherence to guidelines. Still, many of them did not measure individual-level impact. This study aimed to make a posthoc comparison of the clinical outcomes of patients in the "Thrombolysis ImPlementation in Stroke (TIPS)" study, which aimed to improve rates of intravenous thrombolysis in Australia.

Door-to-needle time for thrombolysis: a secondary analysis of the TIPS cluster randomised controlled trial.

Objective: The current study aimed to evaluate the effects of a multi-component in-hospital intervention on the door-to-needle time for intravenous thrombolysis in acute ischaemic stroke.

Design: This study was a post hoc analysis of door-to-needle time data from a cluster-randomised controlled trial testing an intervention to boost intravenous thrombolysis implementation.

Setting: The study was conducted among 20 hospitals from three Australian states.

Can a multicomponent multidisciplinary implementation package change physicians' and nurses' perceptions and practices regarding thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke? An exploratory analysis of a cluster-randomized trial.

Background: The Thrombolysis ImPlementation in Stroke (TIPS) trial tested the effect of a multicomponent, multidisciplinary, collaborative intervention designed to increase the rates of intravenous thrombolysis via a cluster randomized controlled trial at 20 Australian hospitals (ten intervention, ten control). This sub-study investigated changes in self-reported perceptions and practices of physicians and nurses working in acute stroke care at the participating hospitals.

Methods: A survey with 74 statements was administered during the pre- and post-intervention periods to staff at 19 of the 20 hospitals.

Using secondments in tertiary health facilities to build paediatric expertise in allied health professionals working in rural New South Wales.

Outline Of Problem: Allied health professionals working in rural settings have broad caseloads requiring advanced skills as general specialists. This can include children with specialised needs.

Design: Educational secondments were coordinated for allied health professionals to achieve self-nominated learning objectives.

Stroke in Older Survivors of Ischemic Stroke: Standard Care or Something Different?

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability and it is more likely to occur in those who are older. Because people are living longer, the definition of "old" continues to evolve. Age alone should not influence the healthcare that a patient receives, however, evidence indicates that this does occur, especially in older patients.

Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy in Acute Stroke: Do Rural Patients Receive Less Therapy?

. To assess whether acute stroke patients in rural hospitals receive less occupational therapy and physiotherapy than those in metropolitan hospitals. .

Stroke, Physical Function, and Death Over a 15-Year Period in Older Australian Women.

Background And Purpose: As populations age, an increasing number of older women are living with stroke. This study looks at long-term outcomes for women with stroke, comparing mortality rates for women with poor physical function (PF) and those with higher levels of function. The purpose is to understand not only how long women might live after a stroke, but also how long they live with physical disability.

Acknowledging How Older Australian Women Experience Life After Stroke: How Does the WHO 18-Item Brief ICF Core Set for Stroke Compare?

We examined older women's qualitative experiences of stroke with the World Health Organization's 18-item Brief International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Set for Stroke. Women were participants of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health, born between 1921 and 1926, who had experienced a stroke in the previous 3 years. An inductive thematic analysis was conducted of women's qualitative experiences of stroke, which were then examined with the 18-item Brief Core Set for Stroke for congruency.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Effect of Early Upper-Limb Training on Stroke Recovery and Brain Activation.

Background: Upper-limb (UL) dysfunction is experienced by up to 75% of patients poststroke. The greatest potential for functional improvement is in the first month. Following reperfusion, evidence indicates that neuroplasticity is the mechanism that supports this recovery.

Long-term survival of older Australian women with a history of stroke.

Background: Although many people survive an initial stroke, little is known about long-term impacts of stroke on survival.

Methods: Data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health were used to compare 12-year survival rates in older women with prevalent stroke, incident stroke, and no stroke. Cox regression models were fitted to assess the effect of lifestyle and demographic characteristics on the relationship between stroke and all-cause mortality.

Reorganizing therapy: changing the clinical approach to upper limb recovery post-stroke.

Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability, and as a consequence, most therapists will provide health care to patients with stroke during their professional careers. An increasing number of studies are investigating the association between upper limb recovery and changes in brain activation patterns following stroke. In this review, we explore the translational implications of this research for health professionals working in stroke recovery.

Five Years of Acute Stroke Unit Care: Comparing ASU and Non-ASU Admissions and Allied Health Involvement.

Background. Evidence indicates that Stroke Units decrease mortality and morbidity. An Acute Stroke Unit (ASU) provides specialised, hyperacute care and thrombolysis.

The ipsilesional upper limb can be affected following stroke.

Objective: Neurological dysfunction commonly occurs in the upper limb contralateral to the hemisphere of the brain in which stroke occurs; however, the impact of stroke on function of the ipsilesional upper limb is not well understood. This study aims to systematically review the literature relating to the function of the ipsilesional upper limb following stroke and answer the following research question: Is the ipsilesional upper limb affected by stroke?

Data Source: A systematic review was carried out in Medline, Embase, and PubMed.

Review Methods: All studies investigating the ipsilesional upper limb following stroke were included and analysed for important characteristics.

Adherence to clinical guidelines improves patient outcomes in Australian audit of stroke rehabilitation practice.

Objective: To study the correlation between adherence to recommended management and good recovery outcomes in an Australian cohort of inpatients receiving rehabilitation.

Design: Processes of care were audited and included those recommended in the Australian Clinical Guidelines for Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery.

Setting: National audit data from 68 rehabilitation units were used, with each hospital contributing up to 40 consecutive cases.

Assessments in Australian stroke rehabilitation units: a systematic review of the post-stroke validity of the most frequently used.

Purpose: In Australia, stroke is the leading cause of adult disability. For most stroke survivors, the recovery process is challenging, and in the first few weeks their recovery is supported with stroke rehabilitation services. Stroke clinicians are expected to apply an evidence-based approach to stroke rehabilitation and, in turn, use standardised and validated assessments to monitor stroke recovery.

Assessment of the upper limb in acute stroke: the validity of hierarchal scoring for the Motor Assessment Scale.

Background/aim: Stroke is the greatest contributor to disability in Australian adults and much of this disability results from a stroke-affected upper limb. This study aimed to determine the validity of hierarchal scoring for the upper limb subscale of the Motor Assessment Scale (UL-MAS) in acute stroke using Rasch analysis.

Method: This study applied Rasch analysis to 40 UL-MAS assessment results across 25 subjects to determine the validity of the hierarchy of the three upper limb subsets: upper arm function (six), hand movements (seven) and advanced hand activities (eight).

Task-specific training: evidence for and translation to clinical practice.

There is mounting evidence of the value of task-specific training as a neuromotor intervention in neurological rehabilitation. The evidence is founded in the psychology of motor skill learning and in the neuroscience of experience-dependent and learning-dependent neural plastic changes in the brain in animals and humans. Further, there is growing empirical evidence for the effectiveness of task-specific training in rehabilitation and for neural plastic changes following task-oriented training.