The Nethersole School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jul 30;19(15):9341. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19159341.
Stroke recovery is a complex, multidimensional and heterogeneous process. Volunteer engagement improves the delivery of interventions in stroke rehabilitation programs but is under-utilized due to poor role clarity and other program-related concerns. We evaluated healthcare providers' and volunteers' perceptions of volunteer engagement in an 8-week self-management program that provided self-management support for community-dwelling stroke survivors. Using a qualitative design, we conducted individual, semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 5 trained healthcare providers and 18 volunteers. The participants shared their experiences of supporting survivors, perceptions of volunteer engagement, and areas of improvement to optimize volunteer support. Three main themes and six subthemes emerged: bilateral exchange between healthcare providers/volunteers and survivors; adoption of individualized approaches; and suggestions for optimizing volunteer contributions. Volunteer engagement can be optimized by developing well-designed programs with sufficient role clarity, strengthened collaborations with healthcare providers and adequate training. Our findings highlighted the contributions of trained volunteers in supporting stroke survivors' self-management. Future research should evaluate the use of peer and healthcare professional volunteers in such programs and build community capacity to support stroke survivors' recovery.
中风康复是一个复杂、多维且异质的过程。志愿者的参与可以改善中风康复项目中干预措施的实施，但由于角色不明确和其他与项目相关的问题，志愿者的参与程度仍然较低。我们评估了医疗保健提供者和志愿者对志愿者参与为期 8 周的自我管理计划的看法，该计划为居住在社区的中风幸存者提供自我管理支持。我们采用定性设计，对 5 名经过培训的医疗保健提供者和 18 名志愿者进行了有针对性的个人半结构化访谈。参与者分享了他们支持幸存者的经验、对志愿者参与的看法以及优化志愿者支持的改进领域。出现了三个主要主题和六个子主题：医疗保健提供者/志愿者和幸存者之间的双向交流；采用个性化方法；以及优化志愿者贡献的建议。通过制定具有明确角色、加强与医疗保健提供者的合作以及充分培训的精心设计的计划，可以优化志愿者的参与度。我们的研究结果强调了经过培训的志愿者在支持中风幸存者自我管理方面的贡献。未来的研究应该评估在这些计划中使用同伴和医疗专业志愿者，并建立社区能力来支持中风幸存者的康复。
