In health research we often hear, and pay lip service to the term ‘patient centred‘. Many of us would probably be hard pressed to devise entirely patient centred studies. "Take Charge’ is an impressive, novel, community-based self-directed rehabilitation intervention that helps a person with stroke to take charge of their own recovery. 

In a previous randomised controlled trial, a single Take Charge session improved independence and health-related quality of life 12 months following stroke in Māori and Pacific New Zealanders. 

This current study confirms that Take Charge; a low cost, person-centred, self-directed rehabilitation intervention after stroke – improved health-related quality of life and independence.

Carmen Lahiff-Jenkins Managing Editor of the International Journal of Stroke and spoke to Dr Harry McNaughton who conducted the study from the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand in the Stroke/Rehabilitation Research Department at Wellington Hospital.

Dr McNaughton and team tested the same intervention in three doses (zero, one or two sessions) in a larger study and in a broader non-Māori and non-Pacific population with stroke. We spoke to him about how this trial came about and how these really astounding results could change the way we look at some rehabilitation interventions. 

This podcast is sponsored by the World Stroke Organisation