Stroke Rehabilitation Research

Results from important new global health trial surprise researchers

 

Family-led rehabilitation is not effective in aiding the recovery of people who have suffered a stroke, a major international trial involving researchers at the University of Nottingham has suggested.

The results of the study, which was run across 13 centres throughout India and was one of the largest stroke rehabilitation trials ever undertaken, have surprised the researchers who led the work.

The research, published in The Lancet, revealed that there was no reduction in disability for patients on the trial, compared to those who received no extra care.

Professor Marion Walker, in the University’s School of Medicine, was part of the team which conducted the study. She said: “The ATTEND trial was the largest global stroke rehabilitation trial ever to have been conducted and pulled together an impressive team of world-leading stroke researchers.

“It is estimated that around 1.6 million people have a stroke in India each year, yet the vast majority receive little or no formal rehabilitation. Stroke in India affects a much younger population than in high-income countries (on average 15 years younger) which can have a significant impact on an individual’s ability to return to work and generate income.

“Our intervention ensured family members were trained by experts to deliver rehabilitation within the home environment, thereby ensuring patients received much more rehabilitation training than they would normally have received in routine practice.

“Given the limited resources available to stroke survivors in India, we felt this was a hugely important study and were surprised by the results. We now need to find alternative ways of ensuring stroke survivors in India make an optimal recovery.”

The results raise serious questions about the benefit of rehabilitation carried out by family members and highlights the need for urgent investment in professional stroke facilities in low and middle income countries.

The international team was led by Professor Richard Lindley of The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney, and also included leading UK researchers Professor Peter Langhorne at the University of Glasgow and Professor Anne Forster at the University of Leeds.

One of the major successes of this study was the formation of a stroke research network throughout India. Professor Walker is now involved in a £1.9 million National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)-funded stroke research project building further research capacity throughout India.

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Notes to editors: 

The University of Nottingham is a research-intensive university with a proud heritage, consistently ranked among the top one per cent in the world. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our 44,000 students - Nottingham was named University of the Year for Graduate Employment in the 2017 Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, was awarded gold in the TEF 2017 and features in the top 20 of all three major UK rankings. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement. We are ranked eighth for research power in the UK according to REF 2014. We have six beacons of research excellence helping to transform lives and change the world; we are also a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally.

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Story credits

More information is available from Professor Marion Walker in the School of Medicine, University of Nottingham on +44 (0)115 823 0229, marion.walker@nottingham.ac.uk

Emma Thorne - Media Relations Manager

Email: emma.thorne@nottingham.ac.ukPhone: +44 (0)115 951 5793Location: University Park
Posted on Tuesday 25th July 2017

Stroke Rehabilitation Research

The University of Nottingham
School of Medicine


telephone: +44 (0) 115 823 0246
email:H.Taylor@nottingham.ac.uk