Orthotist involvement in early gait rehabilitation after stroke: A cross-sectional survey of orthotists in the United Kingdom.

Background: The role of the orthotist in early gait rehabilitation after stroke in the United Kingdom is currently poorly understood.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to capture current opinion and practice of orthotists on their role in early stroke gait rehabilitation in the United Kingdom.

Methods: An anonymous web-based cross-sectional survey was developed and distributed to Health and Care Professions Council-registered orthotists by the mailing list of the British Association of Prosthetists and Orthotists professional body in the United Kingdom.

Developing consensus-based clinical competencies to guide stroke clinicians in the implementation of psychological care in aphasia rehabilitation.

Background People with aphasia experience depression and anxiety associated with negative outcomes across a range of time post-stroke. Stroke clinicians are well-positioned to facilitate low-intensity psychotherapeutic interventions after aphasia (e.g.

Long-term psychological outcomes following stroke: the OX-CHRONIC study.

Background: Stroke survivors rate longer-term (> 2 years) psychological recovery as their top priority, but data on how frequently psychological consequences occur is lacking. Prevalence of cognitive impairment, depression/anxiety, fatigue, apathy and related psychological outcomes, and whether rates are stable in long-term stroke, is unknown.

Methods: N = 105 long-term stroke survivors (M [SD] age = 72.

Developing a patient care pathway for emotional support around the point of multiple sclerosis diagnosis: A stakeholder engagement study.

Background: Diagnosing multiple sclerosis (MS) can be a lengthy process, which can negatively affect psychological well-being, condition management, and future engagement with health services. Therefore, providing timely and appropriate emotional support may improve adjustment and health outcomes.

Purpose: To develop a patient care pathway for providing emotional support around the point of diagnosing MS, and to explore potential barriers and facilitators to delivery and implementation.

How do stroke survivors and their caregivers manage post-stroke fatigue? A qualitative study.

Objectives: The primary objective was to gain insight into the lived experiences of using day-to-day strategies to manage post-stroke fatigue.

Design: Qualitative, descriptive study.

Setting: Community telephone interviews.

Psychological interventions for post stroke pain: A systematic review.

Chronic pain is prevalent after stroke and has a significant impact on quality of life. Research demonstrates the efficacy of psychological interventions for mixed chronic pain conditions. This review aimed to assess evidence on the effectiveness of psychological interventions for chronic pain in people with stroke.

Precision rehabilitation for aphasia by patient age, sex, aphasia severity, and time since stroke? A prespecified, systematic review-based, individual participant data, network, subgroup meta-analysis.

Background: Stroke rehabilitation interventions are routinely personalized to address individuals' needs, goals, and challenges based on evidence from aggregated randomized controlled trials (RCT) data and meta-syntheses. Individual participant data (IPD) meta-analyses may better inform the development of precision rehabilitation approaches, quantifying treatment responses while adjusting for confounders and reducing ecological bias.

Aim: We explored associations between speech and language therapy (SLT) interventions frequency (days/week), intensity (h/week), and dosage (total SLT-hours) and language outcomes for different age, sex, aphasia severity, and chronicity subgroups by undertaking prespecified subgroup network meta-analyses of the RELEASE database.

Long-term psychological consequences of stroke (OX-CHRONIC): A longitudinal study of cognition in relation to mood and fatigue after stroke: Protocol.

Background: The long-term psychological consequences of stroke and how cognitive problems change over time after the first-year following stroke remain unclear. Particularly, trajectories of domain-specific and domain-general cognitive functions and how cognition interacts with mood, fatigue and quality of life are not well described.

Aims: To determine the prevalence, trajectories and wider impact of domain-specific cognitive impairment in long-term stroke survivors, in relation to mood, fatigue and quality of life.

A pilot economic evaluation of a feasibility trial for SUpporting wellbeing through PEeR-Befriending (SUPERB) for post-stroke aphasia.

Objectives: To explore the feasibility of a full economic evaluation of usual care plus peer-befriending versus usual care control, and potential cost-effectiveness of peer-befriending for people with aphasia. To report initial costs, ease of instruments' completion and overall data completeness.

Design: Pilot economic evaluation within a feasibility randomised controlled trial.

A Biopsychosocial Intervention for Stroke Carers (BISC): development and description of the intervention.

Objective: Family members of stroke survivors are often not supported for their caring role, with many reporting adjustment difficulties. This paper describes the development and content of a group-based intervention for informal carers of stroke survivors.

Method: The intervention is based on the theoretical foundation of the biopsychosocial model with the aim to understand and address the physical, psychological and social factors of caring for stroke survivors.

Solution Focused Brief Therapy in Post-Stroke Aphasia (SOFIA): feasibility and acceptability results of a feasibility randomised wait-list controlled trial.

Objectives: The Solution Focused Brief Therapy in Post-Stroke Aphasia feasibility trial had four primary aims: to assess (1) acceptability of the intervention to people with aphasia, including severe aphasia, (2) feasibility of recruitment and retention, (3) acceptability of research procedures and outcome measures, and (4) feasibility of delivering the intervention by speech and language therapists.

Design: Two-group randomised controlled feasibility trial with wait-list design, blinded outcome assessors and nested qualitative research.

Setting: Participants identified via two community NHS Speech and Language Therapy London services and through community routes (eg, voluntary-sector stroke groups).

SUpporting wellbeing through PEeR-Befriending (SUPERB) feasibility trial: fidelity of peer-befriending for people with aphasia.

Objective: To evaluate systematically the fidelity of a peer-befriending intervention for people with aphasia.

Design: SUpporting wellbeing through Peer-befriending (SUPERB) was a feasibility randomised controlled trial comparing usual care to usual care +peer-befriending. This paper reports on the fidelity of all intervention aspects (training and supervision of providers/befrienders; intervention visits) which was evaluated across all areas of the Behaviour Change Consortium framework.

"Now I Am Myself": Exploring How People With Poststroke Aphasia Experienced Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Within the SOFIA Trial.

Aphasia, a language disability, can profoundly affect a person's mood and identity. The experiences of participants who received Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, a psychological intervention, were explored in the Solution-Focused brief therapy In poststroke Aphasia (SOFIA) Trial. Thirty participants with chronic aphasia, 14 with severe aphasia, participated in in-depth interviews that were analyzed using framework analysis.

'Emotion is of the essence. … Number one priority': A nested qualitative study exploring psychosocial adjustment to stroke and aphasia.

Background: Stroke and aphasia can have a profound impact on people's lives, and depression is a common, frequently persistent consequence. Social networks also suffer, with poor social support associated with worse recovery. It is essential to support psychosocial well-being post-stroke, and examine which factors facilitate successful adjustment to living with aphasia.

Supporting wellbeing through peer-befriending (SUPERB) for people with aphasia: A feasibility randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To determine the feasibility and acceptability of peer-befriending, for people with aphasia.

Design: Single-blind, parallel-group feasibility randomised controlled trial comparing usual care to usual care + peer-befriending.

Participants And Setting: People with aphasia post-stroke and low levels of distress, recruited from 5 NHS Hospitals and linked community services; their significant others; and 10 befrienders recruited from community.

Assessing Self-Reported Mood in Aphasia Following Stroke: Challenges, Innovations and Future Directions.

Assessment of mood is critical in determining rehabilitation outcomes for stroke and other acquired brain injury, yet a common consequence of such injuries is aphasia, where language is impaired. Consequently, the use of language-based measures in this population is often not possible. Following a critical review of the neuropsychological aspects of self-reported mood, this paper evaluates the problems in reporting mood after stroke due to aphasia, and discusses implications for the design of adapted instruments.

A scoping review of psychoeducational interventions for people after transient ischemic attack and minor stroke.

Background: Psychoeducation can provide information and support to cope with the physical and emotional effects of a health condition. This scoping review aimed to identify the evidence regarding psychoeducational interventions for people after a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) and minor stroke.

Methods: This review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews.

Biopsychosocial intervention for stroke carers (BISC): results of a feasibility randomised controlled trial and nested qualitative interview study.

Objective: To determine the feasibility of recruiting to and delivering a biopsychosocial intervention for carers of stroke survivors.

Design: Feasibility randomised controlled study with nested qualitative interview study.

Setting: The intervention was delivered in the community in either a group or one-to-one format.

RELEASE: a protocol for a systematic review based, individual participant data, meta- and network meta-analysis, of complex speech-language therapy interventions for stroke-related aphasia.

Background: Speech and language therapy (SLT) benefits people with aphasia following stroke. Group level summary statistics from randomised controlled trials hinder exploration of highly complex SLT interventions and a clinically relevant heterogeneous population. Creating a database of individual participant data (IPD) for people with aphasia aims to allow exploration of individual and therapy-related predictors of recovery and prognosis.

Frequency of anxiety after stroke: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

Background: Anxiety is a common and distressing problem after stroke.

Aims: To undertake an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies of anxiety after stroke and integrate the findings with those reported previously.

Summary Of Review: Multiple databases were searched in May 2018 and 53 new studies were included following dual independent sifting and data extraction.

Behavioural activation therapy for post-stroke depression: the BEADS feasibility RCT.

Background: There is currently insufficient evidence for the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of psychological therapies for post-stroke depression.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of undertaking a definitive trial to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of behavioural activation (BA) compared with usual stroke care for treating post-stroke depression.

Design: Parallel-group, feasibility, multicentre, randomised controlled trial with nested qualitative research and a health economic evaluation.

The use of carer perspectives and expert consensus to define key components of a biopsychosocial support intervention for stroke carers.

: To identify the key components of a biopsychosocial support intervention to improve mental wellbeing for informal stroke carers within the first year post-stroke based on the combined perspectives of experts in the field of psychological care after stroke and informal stroke carers themselves. : After reviewing the existing literature a cross-sectional mixed-methods design was adopted comprising 1) focus groups with informal stroke carers about their psychological support needs, and 2) nominal group technique with academic and clinical stroke care experts to reach consensus on intervention priorities. Transcripts were thematically analyzed and combined with the ranked priorities from the nominal group to identify key components for intervention content.

Fidelity protocol for the Action Success Knowledge (ASK) trial: a psychosocial intervention administered by speech and language therapists to prevent depression in people with post-stroke aphasia.

Introduction: Treatment fidelity is a complex, multifaceted evaluative process which refers to whether a studied intervention was delivered as intended. Monitoring and enhancing fidelity is one recommendation of the TiDIER (Template for Intervention Description and Replication) checklist, as fidelity can inform interpretation and conclusions drawn about treatment effects. Despite the methodological and translational benefits, fidelity strategies have been used inconsistently within health behaviour intervention studies; in particular, within aphasia intervention studies, reporting of fidelity remains relatively rare.