Stroke survivors' preferences for post-stroke self-management programs: A discrete choice experiment.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Self-management programs enhance survival in stroke patients. However, they require patient-centered designs to be effective. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the type of post-stroke self-management programs that appeal to stroke survivors, and to estimate their willingness to participate in such programs. METHODS: A Discrete Choice Experiment was administered to patients who had either a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or stroke within the past 3 years and were cognitively intact (i.e., stroke survivors). Stroke survivors were presented with eight choice tasks and asked to choose between 'No Program' and two hypothetical post-stroke management programs that varied by six attributes: Topics covered by the program; schedule of the program; frequency and duration of the sessions; number of participants; out-of-pocket registration fee for the whole program; and rewards for completing the program. RESULTS: The analysis involved 146 stroke survivors. Based on the mixed logit model, the predicted willingness to participate ranged from 53% to 76%. The most popular characteristics in a program were topics on health education and risk management, being scheduled during weekends as four sessions that are each 2 hours long and involve four participants, a registration fee of SGD50 (∼USD36), and SGD500 (∼USD359) reward for program completion. CONCLUSIONS: Interest in post-stroke self-management programs was high, with at least half of the sample showing interest in participating in these programs. Program features such as focusing on health education and risk management, charging a low registration fee, and offering incentives helped to increase the demand.

Exploring the Use of Virtual Reality for the Delivery and Practice of Stress-Management Exercises.

Background: Mindfulness-based interventions may benefit healthcare professionals with burnout symptoms. Virtual reality (VR) may reduce initial difficulty of engaging in mindfulness exercises and increase participants' engagement through immersion and presence. Aim: The aim was to investigate how VR affects participants' experience of engagement with mindfulness practice, and its impact on quality of practice and negative mood states. Methods: Fifty-one healthcare professionals were randomized to receive either a visualization or non-visualization mindfulness practice, to compare the quality of practice through the use of audio only vs. with a virtual reality interface. Selected self-reported measures were collected during the session (immersion, quality and difficulty of practice, mood states and likelihood for future practice). Results: Results showed that order instead of type of modality administered made a difference in quality of mindfulness practice. A greater sense of presence was reported with VR if administered after audio (F = 4.810, p = 0.033, Partial η2 = 0.093). Further, participants described difficulty practicing with audio if administered after VR (F = 4.136, p = 0.048, Partial η2 = 0.081). Additionally, lower mood disturbance was reported with VR if administered after audio (F = 8.116, p = 0.006, Partial η2 = 0.147). Qualitative responses echoed a preference for VR to engage better, in addition to improved mood states after practice. Conclusion: Findings suggest that VR has the potential to provide healthcare professionals with an alternative or a supplement to conventional mindfulness practice.

Corrigendum: Exploring the Use of Virtual Reality for the Delivery and Practice of Stress-Management Exercises.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.640341.].