Barriers to patient recruitment in a poststroke neurorehabilitation multicenter trial in Brazil
Braz J Med Biol Res. 2023 Jan 27;56:e12326. doi: 10.1590/1414-431X2023e12326. eCollection 2023.ABSTRACTThere is a high demand for stroke rehabilitation in the Brazilian public health system, but most studies that have addressed rehabilitation for unilateral spatial neglect (USN) after stroke have been performed in high-income countries. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze USN patient recruitment in a multicenter noninvasive brain stimulation clinical trial performed in Brazil and to provide study design recommendations for future studies. We evaluated the reasons for exclusion of patients from a multicenter, randomized, double-blinded clinical trial of rehabilitation of USN patients after stroke. Clinical and demographic variables were compared between the included and excluded patients. A descriptive statistical analysis was performed. Only 173 of the 1953 potential neglect patients (8.8%) passed the initial screening. After screening evaluation, 87/173 patients (50.3%) were excluded for clinical reasons. Cognitive impairment led to the exclusion of 21/87 patients (24.1%). Low socioeconomic status led to the exclusion of 37/173 patients (21.4%). Difficulty obtaining transportation to access treatment was the most common reason for their exclusion (16/37 patients, 43.3%). The analyzed Brazilian institutions have potential for conducting studies of USN. The recruitment of stroke survivors with USN was restricted by the study design and limited financial support. A ...
Source: Braz J Med Biol Res - Category: Research Authors: T R da Silva G J Luvizutto L G Martins R D M da Costa J T de Souza F C Winckler L C A Sartor G P Modolo N C Ferreira J C S Rodrigues R G Kanda M O Fogaroli G F Borges G R S Rizzatti P W Ribeiro D S Pires D B Favoretto L R Aguiar S G Z Bazan L E G Betting Source Type: research
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