A critical review - The Effectiveness of Enriched Environment in Stroke Rehabilitation in Terms of Physical Activities and Social Participation.

Abstract

Introduction: Strokes present a major challenge to healthcare; it is estimated that more than 100,000 people suffer a stroke each year. The prognoses among cases can vary, but patients often face long-term mental and physical health challenges following a stroke. This critical review investigated whether offering an enriched environment (EE) could influence patient outcomes, guided by the following research question: In stroke patients, does EE increase physical activity and social participation? Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted by inserting specific search terms into different online databases: Medline, PubMed, Cinahl and Amed, Google Scholar and the Cochrane. A selection criterion was put in place in order to limit the findings to ‘on-target’ results, and a systematic process was followed to reduce the search results to a final pool of four papers. The papers were assessed for quality using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) and Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) frameworks. Results: EE can increase physical and social activity. Conclusion: EE may play a role in increasing physical and social activity among acute stroke survivors. However, powered studies are recommended to generalize the findings.