Stroke rehabilitation is a critical component of stroke recovery, offering significant benefits in terms of promoting recovery, preventing complications, and supporting survivors as they reintegrate into the community. These rehabilitation guidelines have been developed to outline the current evidence-based practices for stroke rehabilitation, both in hospital settings and within the community. The guidelines aim to enhance the application of rehabilitation protocols following acute stroke care and beyond. Whilst rigorously developed to reflect current evidence, we recognize that challenges may arise during implementation, particularly due to issues such as limited access to or availability of specialized care.
The organizing committee responsible for this guideline comprises professionals from a variety of disciplines involved in post-stroke care, as listed below. This multidisciplinary team is crucial to address the complex challenges and issues associated with post-stroke management.
- Neurologist
- Rehabilitation Medicine Physician
- Family Medicine Specialist
- Physiotherapist
- Speech-Language Therapist
- Occupational Therapist
Additionally, four expert panel groups were formed for the aforementioned rehabilitation therapists and physicians. Each group consists of four to five members from the same profession. Efforts were made to include representatives from both academic and clinical backgrounds, encompassing practitioners from the public and private sectors.
The current Malaysian Clinical Practice Guideline acknowledges the importance of rehabilitation, but it lacks detailed information. Therefore, these guidelines are designed to expand on the rehabilitation aspects within the existing document. The goal is to enhance comprehensive stroke care in Malaysia, including long-term care for stroke patients.
In developing these guidelines, we employed an “adopt and adapt” approach. The process began with a review of recent post-stroke care guidelines from various countries, including Malaysia, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada, in accordance with the identified scope. Relevant information was extracted and revised to fit the Malaysian context. Subsequently, an expert panel evaluated the guidelines using the AGREE-II tool.
Subsequently, the organizing members engaged in discussions to harmonize the statements of individual guidelines, drawing upon the expert panel’s ratings. The guidelines were then reviewed by the organizing members to reach consensus and finalize them
The guidelines were also reviewed by stroke survivors and their caregivers, as their input is crucial for ensuring inclusivity. It is anticipated that a layperson-friendly version will be developed in the future to enhance patient compliance, education, and empowerment. Currently, this effort is being carried out voluntarily by a dedicated group of clinicians.
The updated guidelines are expected to be made available electronically in PDF format, with the option for downloading.