Barriers to treatment adherence among Stroke Survivors attending outpatient physiotherapy clinics in North-western Nigeria

Abstract

Objective  Adherence is the extent to which an individual closely follows a prescribed component of an intervention for a desirable outcome. This study investigated barriers to attendance at appointments and clinic-based exercises during physiotherapy management of stroke survivors. 

Methods  A non-probability sampling method was used to purposively recruit consenting stroke survivors who met the inclusion criteria for the study from three specialist hospitals in Kano Metropolis, North-western Nigeria. Rating scales for appointment and barriers to keep appointment, self-reports, of barriers to clinic-based exercises were used to rate adherence. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results  Participants were aged 55.3±10.0 years. 44 (84.6%) were adherent to appointment keeping, while 33 (63.5%) were adherent to clinic-based exercises. The barriers to appointment keeping most reported were lack of accompanying person to hospital (29.3%) and financial constraints (27.6%). Fatigue and pain were the most reported barriers to clinic-based exercise adherence.

Conclusion  Family support and enhanced coverage of the National Health Insurance Scheme (a financial aid for healthcare in Nigeria) may improve appointment adherence for stroke survivors