Therapeutic itinerary of post-stroke patients: the state of the art of Brazilian scientific production

ABSTRACT The study analyzed the qualitative research conducted in Brazil on the rehabilitation itinerary of patients who have suffered a stroke and synthesized its main contributions in search of the underlying senses and meanings. The integrative literature review was based on the question: how are the rehabilitation itineraries of stroke patients described in qualitative studies? BIREME, MEDLINE, LILACS, and SciELO databases were consulted, using the DeCS/MeSH descriptors: “acidente vascular cerebral AND qualitativa”; “reabilitação AND acidente vascular cerebral”; “acidente vascular cerebral”; “pesquisa qualitativa”; “acidente vascular encefálico AND qualitativa”; “reabilitação AND acidente vascular encefálico.” A total of six articles were included, which highlighted the importance of integrality of care, the role of the family in the recovery process, the centralization of services, the difficulty with transportation, and the unavailability of family members and caregivers as obstacles in the rehabilitation itinerary. Such results reinforce the need to improve the pathway of care of the patient who suffered a stroke and the demand for integrality of management.