SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Rehabil. Sci.
Sec. Rehabilitation in Neurological Conditions
Meta-Synthesis of Qualitative Studies on Home-Based Exercise Rehabilitation Experiences Among Stroke Patients: A Continuity of Care Perspective
Provisionally accepted
- 1Cangnan County Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wenzhou, China
- 2Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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Background: Home-based exercise rehabilitation plays a vital role in enhancing functional recovery among stroke patients; however, adherence remains low because of limited continuity of care, inadequate professional supervision, and discontinuities in the transition from home to community settings. Although previous studies have examined home-based rehabilitation experiences, they lack systematic integration from the perspective of care continuity, which hinders the development of a collaborative intervention framework across different care settings. Purpose: This study synthesizes the real-world experiences of stroke patients transitioning from hospital to home rehabilitation. It aims to elucidate how care continuity influences rehabilitation behaviors and to provide insights for optimizing nursing strategies. Method: A comprehensive search of six major databases (including PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL) was conducted. Ten qualitative studies were identified, appraised, and synthesized following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) framework. Result: The synthesis included 263 stroke patients. Four major categories were identified: (1) deficiencies in discharge guidance and follow-up; (2) challenges in self-regulation and home-based motivation; (3) the facilitating role of family and community support; and (4) the influence of nursing and family support continuity. Existing services exhibit marked transitional discontinuities. Conclusion: The home rehabilitation experience is shaped by the interplay among care continuity, self-regulation, and support networks. We propose a closed-loop model encompassing guidance, monitoring, and motivation. This framework provides a practical approach to optimizing the hospital-community-home collaborative system, thereby promoting sustained adherence and improving long-term recovery outcomes.
Keywords: continuity of care, Exercise Rehabilitation Experience, meta-synthesis, qualitative research, Stroke
Received: 11 Nov 2025; Accepted: 13 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Xu, Xiao, Zhang, Li and 方. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Huangling Xiao
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