Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Hospital lengths of stay for people after stroke continue to shorten, with large waiting lists for outpatient services. Community exercise may further enhance recovery; however, stroke survivors most commonly reduce their physical activity after discharge. Using an Integrated Knowledge Translation approach, between 5 and 15 people from stakeholder groups (stroke survivors and care partners, community organisations and healthcare providers) were recruited for focus groups under the direction of a representational advisory committee. Normalisation Process Theory supported the question framework. Participants provided perspectives on implementation factors to optimize adoption commitment. Focus groups were recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed, informing the development of a framework for consultation in second focus groups. Forty-two people provided informed consent, including stroke survivors, community organisations (stroke support organisations, community centre staff) exercise deliverers (exercise physiologists, kinesiologists, fitness instructors) and healthcare providers (neurologists, physiatrists, recreation and occupational therapists, speech and physical therapists). Pragmatic information about components of the exercise intervention (e.g., dose and delivery) were categorized as program, people, and processes. Two pathways to the program were identified; from rehabilitation or self-referred from community. An educational component was requested. Thematic analysis identified a strong sense of belonging as driving participation in stroke-specific classes. The capacity for the community sector to offer a continuing service may address issues with medical services availability. These study data support the need for, and define characteristics of, implementation of stroke-specific exercises in community centres with multiple referral pathways. This will inform our next stage of program implementation. and evaluation