Stroke patients' and non-professional coaches' experiences with home-based constraint-induced movement therapy: a qualitative study

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the experiences of chronic stroke patients and non-professional coaches with home-based constraint-induced movement therapy (homeCIMT).

DESIGN: Qualitative study embedded within a cluster randomized controlled trial investigating the efficacy of homeCIMT to improve the use of the affected arm in daily activities.

SETTING: Patients' home environment.

PARTICIPANTS: 13 stroke patients and 9 non-professional coaches' alias family members who had completed the four-week homeCIMT programme in the context of the HOMECIMT trial.

INTERVENTIONS: Semi-structured interviews; qualitative data were analysed using the methodology of the hermeneutic phenomenological data analysis.

RESULTS: We identified six themes in the qualitative analysis describing the experiences of patients and non-professional coaches with homeCIMT: (1) homeCIMT can be integrated into everyday life with varying degrees of success; (2) training together may produce positive experiences as well as strain; (3) self-perceived improvements during and following homeCIMT; (4) using the affected arm in everyday life is challenging; (5) subjective evaluation of and experiences with homeCIMT-specific exercises; and (6) impact of professional therapists' guidance and motivation during homeCIMT. Statements regarding theme five and six were only provided by patients, whereas the other themes contain both, the experiences of stroke patients and non-professional coaches.

CONCLUSION: Patients' and non-professional coaches' narratives offer a detailed insight into the manifold experiences with the practical implementation of homeCIMT that may help improve implementing the homeCIMT programme and similar approaches involving increased training duration and intensity and/or involvement of family members.