RESUMO
PURPOSE: To identify barriers and facilitators to accessing post-stroke rehabilitation services six months after discharge from the stroke unit of a Brazilian public hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional and descriptive study collected sociodemographic and clinical-functional data during hospitalization. Then, barriers and facilitators for accessing the post-stroke rehabilitation services were collected six months after discharge. We considered economic conditions and displacement, the quality and organization of post-stroke rehabilitation services, and personal conditions. RESULTS: A total of 174 patients were included. Among the 20 aspects analyzed, 17 (85.0%) were reported as facilitators, while three (15.0%) were as barriers. The identified barriers included financial income available for healthcare (49.4%), waiting time to schedule or to be seen (47.0%), and process to scheduling (45.4%). The main facilitators (> 79.0%) were the expectation of the patient with the treatment and assistance from family and friends. Moreover, most patients indicated as facilitators all aspects related to the quality of post-stroke rehabilitation services. CONCLUSION: Access to post-stroke rehabilitation services presented more facilitators than barriers. Public policies to subsidize health costs, optimize waiting time, and process for scheduling post-stroke rehabilitation services should be considered to reduce barriers. Likewise, human and financial resources must promote the facilitators.
Public policies to subsidize health costs, optimize waiting times and scheduling in post-stroke rehabilitation services should be considered to facilitate access to rehabilitation services for post-stroke patients.The involvement of family and friends in the treatment of post-stroke patients should be encouraged.Patients' motivation and positive expectations can facilitate access to post-stroke rehabilitation services.