Young Adults Rehabilitation experiences and Needs following Stroke (YARNS): A scoping review of the rehabilitation care experiences and outcomes of young adults post-stroke

Abstract

Background Stroke is one of the leading disabling conditions in the United Kingdom. While an increasing focus on the rehabilitation care for stroke survivors has been noted, practice guidelines, targets and services tend to be tailored for the elderly population rather than young adults. Objectives This scoping review aimed to map the existing literature on the rehabilitation care experiences and outcomes of young adults post-stroke aged between 18 and 45 years within acute and social care settings. Methods and analysis A scoping review was conducted to identify existing practice and published academic and evidence-based literature related to the topic. Arksey and O’Malley’s framework guided the review and reporting followed the PRISMA-ScR checklist. Electronic databases and grey literature were searched to capture the potentially recent and relevant literature available in English from year 2000–2022. The databases included CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, ASSIA, AMED, PEDro, Cochrane Library and Web of Science. Grey literature was searched from the following sources: Google Scholar, websites of networks, organisations and charities related to stroke. Hand searches were performed on the reference lists of the included articles and grey literature to find relevant references. Data were extracted on young adults’ experiences of stroke and rehabilitation care and their outcomes and experiences of a particular stroke rehabilitation programme in acute and social care settings. Results Eighty-five articles were included in this review. In most instances, stroke was reported to negatively impact young adults, although positive consequences were also documented. The focus and the outcomes of stroke rehabilitation were predominantly physical especially in the areas of movement, communication and memory. Young adults experienced a lack of age-adapted stroke rehabilitation in acute and social care settings. Conclusion Our results highlight the unmet needs of young adults in their stroke recovery journey. Effective rehabilitation programmes and interventions should be developed to support young adults following stroke and meet their age-specific needs.