Living After the Stroke: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis of Patients’ Lived Experiences and Policy Implications for Comprehensive Stroke Care (2000–2025)
Description
This qualitative meta-synthesis highlights that the experiences of stroke survivors extend far beyond physical disability. Across 32 studies from 18 countries, six interrelated themes emerged: fractured identity, invisible symptoms, communication barriers, precarious transitions, family co-recovery, and pathways of hope. Survivors consistently described stroke as a profound disruption of self, reinforced by persistent fatigue, cognitive fog, and emotional lability. Aphasia and other communication difficulties were particularly isolating, limiting autonomy and excluding survivors from decisions about their own care. The review also revealed system-level gaps. Discharge from hospital was often experienced as abandonment, with little structured follow-up or community rehabilitation, particularly in low-resource settings. Families were shown to be “co-survivors,” simultaneously supporting recovery and bearing significant emotional, financial, and physical strain. Yet survivors and families also identified resilience through spirituality, peer networks, and, more recently, digital rehabilitation platforms. These findings converge with global policy frameworks such as the World Stroke Organization Action Plan and WHO’s people-centred health agenda, but reveal gaps in implementation. Survivors’ voices underscore the need for stroke services that move beyond survival to holistic, person-centred care. Structured discharge planning, routine screening for invisible symptoms, caregiver training, and accessible peer/digital supports are not optional extras but essential components of comprehensive stroke care.