The Experiences and Opinions of Dutch Stroke Patients Regarding Early Hospital Discharge and Subsequent Rehabilitation Assessment and Planning in a Nursing Home

Introduction: A new stroke care model has been developed in Maastricht, The Netherlands, in which patients only receive short-term acute care in the hospital. As soon as they are stabilized, patients are transferred to a special assessment and rehabilitation unit in a nursing home where the optimal rehabilitation track will be determined by means of a structured multidisciplinary assessment. It is not yet known how stroke patients experience this new care model and what their opinions are on it. Objective: To explore stroke patients’ experiences with and their opinions on this newly developed stroke care model. Methods: Qualitative study among stroke patients admitted to the Maastricht University Medical Centre between September 2010 and January 2011, who underwent a multidisciplinary assessment in a nursing home as part of a newly developed stroke care model. Each link (hospital stay, transfer to and stay in the nursing home and return home) of this new care model was assessed by means of semi-structured interviews. Results: Fourteen interviews were performed. Stroke patients stated that in general everything was well cared for and organized. They did not experience distorting problems with the care delivery. However, more attention has to be paid to the communication with the patients and their partners concerning the rehabilitation track. Conclusion: The newly developed stroke care model is well experienced by patients. If this way of organizing stroke care appears to be cost effective, the next step will be implementation in more nursing homes.