Improving the management of post-stroke spasticity: Time for ACTION

Authors

  • Gerry Christofi
  • Stephen Ashford
  • Jonathan Birns
  • Catherine Dalton
  • Lynsay Duke
  • Claire Madsen
  • Sohail Salam

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.2340/20030711-1000004

Abstract

Objective: To identify barriers to appropriate referral and treatment for patients with spasticity and present solutions that address these in a pragmatic way. Methods: Using the findings of interviews conducted with UK healthcare professionals on the management of post-stroke spasticity, a consensus meeting was held involving 7 UK spasticity experts. The panel identified barriers to timely identification and referral of patients in the acute and post-acute care settings. Barriers were prioritized using a consensus framework based on impact and resolvability and a series of final recommendations were agreed. Results: High-priority barriers broadly related to: insufficient awareness of spasticity symptoms and benefits of treatment, limited access to spasticity services and lack of standardized pathways for post-stroke spasticity identification. Potential solutions included the appointment of an experienced member of the acute team to gain expertise in spasticity identification, patient education of spasticity symptoms and a greater utilization of training resources for healthcare professionals. Conclusion: To address the barriers identified, we provide a series of consensus recommendations. As a key recommendation, we propose a set of indicators for the identification of stroke patients requiring specialist assessment and the use of the associated acronym ?ACTION?.

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Published

2018-09-03

How to Cite

Christofi, G., Ashford, S., Birns, J., Dalton, C., Duke, L., Madsen, C., & Salam, S. (2018). Improving the management of post-stroke spasticity: Time for ACTION. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine - Clinical Communications, 1(4), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.2340/20030711-1000004

Issue

Section

Original Report