Improving functional outcomes through multidisciplinary community-based neurorehabilitation for stroke patients

Stroke has been acknowledged as a global public health concern owing to its widespread prevalence, associated functional impairments, and healthcare expenditures. The purpose of the current review is to identify the functional impairment and disability post-stroke, justify the need for multidisciplinary neurorehabilitation, propose a step-wise approach to establish community-based neurorehabilitation programs, identify involved challenges in the successful run of community-based neurorehabilitation programs, and propose recommendations to overcome these identified challenges. Stroke survivors must deal with functional impairments and disabilities that impact their independence and quality of life. This calls for the need to adopt comprehensive community-based neurorehabilitation, wherein the focus is on providing timely access to rehabilitation and extending psychological support, with the single aim of improving functional outcomes and quality of life of stroke survivors. The adoption of a multidisciplinary team approach in neurorehabilitation has been strongly advocated to effectively and efficiently meet the complex needs of patients with neurological disorders. Community-based neurorehabilitation is an integral aspect of improving the functional outcomes of stroke patients. However, it is a must that the rehabilitation program is customized according to the specific needs of an individual patient, and this not only improves the quality of life but also expedites reintegration into society.