Grant: Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (CPRA) program

The ability to effectively take care of oneself (i.e., self-manage) may empower people with stroke to optimize their health, and in doing so reduce may reduce the number of times they see a doctor or visit a hospital and improve their quality of life (i.e., how one's health impacts their daily activities). However, little is known about how people with stroke self-manage their recovery within the first year of being discharged from the hospital. Managing one's health within the first year of stroke is important because the risk of readmission to the hospital is high during this time period. Therefore, this one-year study with 5 timepoints will explore self-management abilities, healthcare usage and quality of life among people with stroke after they have been discharged from the hospital. Specific variables related to self-management that will be measured include health behaviours (walking activity and diet), emotions (depression, anxiety and stress), and life roles (quality of participation in different aspects of life). We will also collect information on people's perception of how their current impairments impact their health, how often they visit a doctor or hospital, and what type of health exams or tests have been done. We will then identify specific profiles of people who have a similar number of visits to a doctor's office or hospital. These profiles will also be determined based on the data we collect on how participants manage their health behaviours, emotions and roles in the community. People who are able to better manage themselves may have a better quality of life and may not visit a healthcare professional as frequently as someone with poor self-management. In the future, we will aim to design programs that target the profiles of people that we identify. People who experience greater challenges with managing themselves after a stroke may not need to visit a healthcare professional as frequently and may possess a better sense of their well-being.