Effectiveness of multifaceted interventions including motivational interviewing and home-based rehabilitation program for improving mental and physical health in stroke patients: A randomized controlled trial

Background

In Vietnam, early screening and intervention for post-stroke mental health are limited, with rising demand for home-based rehabilitation due to the scarcity of inpatient programs.

Objectives

We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of multifaceted interventions, including Motivational Interviewing and home-based rehabilitation, in improving the mental and physical health of stroke patients.

Design

A randomized controlled trial at the Vietnam National Geriatric Hospital assessed a multi-intervention approach for stroke survivors from 2021 to 2022. Ninety-two participants (aged over 45 with a stroke diagnosis) were randomly assigned to an intervention group (Motivational Interviewing and home-based rehabilitation) or a control group (standard care), with 46 participants in each group. Outcomes for mental health (Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Fatigue Severity Scale, Mini-Mental State Examination) and physical health (Barthel Index) were measured at baseline and after 1, 3, and 6 months. Statistical analyses used t-tests, Cohen's d, and repeated measures ANOVA.

Results

Over 6 months, 37 participants completed the intervention program. Baseline characteristics were similar except for age, lesion locations, and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores. The intervention group showed significant improvements in mental health and physical function. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores decreased from 9.1 to 1.8, and Fatigue Severity Scale scores dropped from 28.5 to 17.8, while Barthel Index scores improved from 58.8 to 68.8 (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

We found that participants who underwent Motivational Interviewing therapy and home-based rehabilitation were more likely than those receiving standard care to experience substantial improvements in both mental and physical health metrics.

Registration

The research protocol was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov on August 1, 2021 (Identifier: NCT04941482, link: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04941482).