A scoping review of available interventions to improve transportation access for chronic stroke survivors

Abstract

Introduction

Chronic stroke survivors live with a wide range of disabilities that impact activities of daily living. One of these is transportation and mobility, which is a key link to the world around them and has implications for health and quality of life. This review sought to answer the question “What interventions are available for chronic stroke survivors to improve their transportation and/or community access?”

Methods

A scoping literature review was carried out, identifying 27,650 abstracts (after removal of duplicates) from five databases. After review and extraction, 41 articles were included for analysis, focusing on quantitative papers that tested a transportation intervention.

Results

While emergency transportation in the acute domain is well-represented in the literature, the chronic (≥6 months post-stroke) timeline is less studied. Of the 41 included articles, the vast majority (N = 35) addressed motor deficits related to walking. Three addressed driving ability. Only two studies addressed public transportation use despite it being an important link in the transportation system that does not require the ability to drive.

Conclusions

There are clear gaps in the literature for interventions aiming to improve transportation access and community mobility for chronic stroke survivors. In particular, more attention can be paid to visual, cognitive, and communication-related deficits as they relate to transportation access.