Clinical Pathways in Stroke Rehabilitation: Background, Scope, and Methods

The prevalence of stroke and stroke-related disability is increasing considerably worldwide. Comprehensive stroke rehabilitation can reduce disability and promote participation and improve quality of life among stroke survivors. The evidence for interventions to promote functional recovery of respiration, swallowing, arm function and activities, gait, ambulation, visual and other sensory functions, as well as cognitive and emotional functions is rapidly increasing. Clinical practice guidelines and their local adaptation, i.e. clinical pathways can help to bring this knowledge to clinical practice and to ensure effective treatment thereby reducing the burden of stroke-related disability globally. The WFNR developed and provides evidence-based clinical practice recommendations that were reviewed by a broad multidisciplinary international consensus panel including experts in the various fields addressed, those taking responsibility for neurorehabilitation at an international level and representatives of stroke survivors. This chapter presents the background for the WFNR initiative on clinical practice recommendations and describes the scope of the work, involvement of stakeholders, and the specific methods used to search for and critically appraise the evidence and to deduce and categorize recommendations.