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A. Rhoda1,2,3, R. Jansen1
1University of the Western Cape, Faculty of Community and Health Sciences, Bellville, South Africa, 2University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa, 3Western Cape University, Bellville, South Africa
Background: Self-management support strategies have been found to improve function and quality of life in individuals post-stroke. Socio-cultural factors have been found to impact the access, implementation and outcomes of rehabilitation. These factors include cultural beliefs and limited access to healthcare. They could influence the outcome of self-management support strategies implemented to facilitate functional recovery and social integration.
Purpose: This study explored the perceived socio-cultural factors that would impact the implementation of self-management support strategies as perceived by healthcare providers.
Methods: A descriptive exploratory study was conducted to explore the perceived socio-cultural factors that could impact the implementation of self-management support. The healthcare providers were conveniently recruited to participate in the study included, a multidisciplinary team which consisted of, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dieticians, nurses, social workers and speech therapists. Focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect the data. The audio-taped interviews and focus group discussions took place at the rehabilitation facilitates at a time that was convenient for the participants. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The researcher analyzed the transcriptions and interesting features in the data were coded in a systematic way, across the data set, collecting data relevant to each code. The codes were then collated into potential themes, gathering all data that would fit into each potential theme. The themes were checked to gauge whether they worked in relation to the coded extracts and the entire data set. Trustworthiness was ensured by applying credibility, dependability and confirmability strategies. Ethical clearance was obtained from the research Senate Committee of the Research Ethics Committee at the University of the Western Cape.
Results: The themes that arose included “levels of literacy”, "power relations between therapists and patients" as well as "cultural factors". Healthcare providers expressed that levels of literacy would limit the implementation of self-management support structures. They further expressed that cultural beliefs such as, the causes of stroke impacts on aspects of self-management such as goals setting. and the perceptions that the healthcare provider is the “healer” creates a power relationship and would impede the successful implementation of self-management support strategies such as decision making.
Conclusion(s): Healthcare providers expressed that specific socio-cultural factors which included factors internal to the patients with stroke as well as the relationship between the healthcare provider and the patients.
Implications: The perceived socio-cultural factors expressed by the healthcare providers in the study would impede the implementation of self-management support strategies. Future work should include designing context-specific self-management support strategies. Evaluating the impact of these strategies should be explored and investigated.
Funding, acknowledgements: South African National Research Foundation
Keywords: Self-management, Cultural Factors, Healthcare workers perceptions
Topic: Neurology: stroke
Did this work require ethics approval? Yes
Institution: University of the Western Cape
Committee: Senate Ethics Committee
Ethics number: HS/5/40
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
