Returning home after a stroke: from identifying needs to co-designing solutions

This project is a mixed-design cross-sectional study of people who have had a stroke and their primary caregivers to identify the needs of stroke survivors after hospital discharge and propose solutions to the most prevalent unmet needs.

The project combines quantitative surveys with qualitative interviews to obtain a comprehensive overview of the needs of stroke survivors after hospital discharge. Finally, innovative and viable solutions will be developed in co-creation sessions for the most prevalent unmet need. These solutions will be designed together with the people affected, their families, and healthcare, social and community professionals.

This project is the result of a previous collaboration, Lugaritz Living Lab, which was initiated in 2021 between Matia Instituto and ATECE Gipuzkoa. The purpose of this collaboration was to identify the needs that arise after a stroke, both for the person affected and for those involved in the process that is set in motion after the stroke code is activated. This process can be considered a precursor to the ‘Returning home after a stroke’ project, as it highlighted the need for applied research with the active participation of the people affected and the organisations that support them as a way of advancing the design of appropriate solutions.

Objectives:

1. General objective
   1. To identify the needs of people who have had a stroke after being discharged from hospital, with the aim of developing proposals to address the most prevalent needs.
2. Specific objectives
   1. To design a survey in Gipuzkoa to adequately identify the needs of people who have had a stroke after being discharged from hospital.
   2. To estimate, through a survey in Gipuzkoa, the prevalence of met and unmet needs among people who have had a stroke
   3. To identify existing unmet needs that make daily life difficult for people who have had a stroke after hospital discharge
   4. Design and conceptualise, together with stroke survivors and their families, possible solutions to the most prevalent needs identified through the surveys and co-creation sessions.

Methodology:

This participatory, evidence-based project will be carried out in three phases:

1. Provincial survey to identify the most prevalent post-stroke needs.
2. In-depth interviews with affected individuals and caregivers to understand their experiences.
3. Co-creation sessions where concrete solutions will be designed with the active participation of all stakeholders.

The study will be carried out in Gipuzkoa, with the voluntary participation of 300 people over the age of 18 who have suffered a stroke or who have been or are carers, who will be contacted through the Donostia Hospital, Matia Fundazioa and ATECE Gipuzkoa. The methodology will combine quantitative and qualitative tools, ensuring a comprehensive and realistic view of post-stroke needs.