# Patient education for improving the quality of life among community-dwelling survivors of stroke: A scoping review

## TL;DR

This review explores how patient education can improve the quality of life for stroke survivors living in the community.

## Contribution

The study identifies effective features of patient education programs for stroke survivors and highlights the need for structured, multi-component interventions.

## Key findings

- Patient education interventions showed consistent trends in improving quality of life for stroke survivors.
- Structured, multi-component programs delivered over time were more effective than brief interventions.
- Heterogeneity in study designs limited the identification of optimal intervention components.

## Abstract

Survivors of stroke frequently encounter difficulties with self-care and self-management, adversely affecting their long-term quality of life (QoL). Patient education is vital in enhancing their QoL, but its overall efficacy must be established. This scoping review aimed to elucidate the efficacy of patient education interventions in improving the QoL of community-dwelling survivors of stroke.

A scoping review was performed by querying four databases (PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library and PEDro) for papers that fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The search terms included (‘stroke’ OR ‘CVA’ OR ‘cerebrovascular accident’) AND (‘patient education’ OR ‘self-care’) AND ‘quality of life’. Publications published in English, subjected to peer review and including human participants were included in the review. Research pertaining to alternative neurological disorders or lacking relevance to the specified subjects of interest was excluded. Two reviewers independently evaluated the full-text papers to determine which ones satisfied the qualifying requirements.

Five studies were included. Patient education interventions demonstrated a consistent trend toward improved quality of life (QoL) among community-dwelling stroke survivors, particularly when programmes were structured, multi-component, and delivered over time. Benefits were observed across domains of functional independence, participation, self-efficacy, and emotional well-being. However, substantial heterogeneity in intervention design and outcome measures limited determination of definitive active components or optimal delivery models.

Patient education interventions hold potential in improving QoL after stroke, but effectiveness is highly dependent on programme design, duration and delivery. Comprehensive, personalised and longitudinally supported interventions are more effective than brief or one-off programmes. Future research should identify core active components, assess subgroup effects and develop adaptable models that can be integrated into routine community-based stroke rehabilitation.