26 Oct 2023 • People who have had a stroke should be offered at least three hours of rehabilitation five days a week, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech and language therapy, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has said. In updated guidelines on stroke rehabilitation in adults, NICE recommended an increase in rehabilitation compared with its 2013 guidance after it reviewed the latest evidence and heard from patients and their families.

Previous NICE guidance from 2013 recommended at least 45 minutes of physiotherapy for five days a week. Looking at the method of delivering rehabilitation, the committee advised that tele-rehabilitation can be considered as an alternative to, or in addition to, face-to-face therapy, where it’s appropriate and the patient agrees. If tele-rehabilitation is undertaken the patient must be monitored to ensure they are benefiting from the method and are “not developing symptoms or signs of depression.”

The committee concluded that more intensive rehabilitation would likely improve “quality of life and activities of daily living.”

Source: BMJ | Read full story