Selected Factors Related to Patient Activation Among Ischemic Stroke Patients

Abstract

Background: Ischemic stroke is a chronic condition that requires complex and continuous care. In the recovery process, patients play a central role not only as care recipients but as active participants in their own rehabilitation. Low levels of patient activation have been associated with increased disease severity and higher rates of hospital readmission. Patient activation is closely related to health behaviors among individuals with ischemic stroke.      

Objectives:  The purpose of this study was to investigate the level of patient activation among patients with ischemic stroke and to study the relationships between selected factors including age, perceived health status, self-efficacy, social support, comorbid conditions, and depression with patient activation.

Methods: This descriptive correlational study included a sample of 104 patients with ischemic stroke who had completed the acute phase of treatment for at least two weeks. Participants were between 18 and 59 years of age and received care at the outpatient department of three tertiary hospitals. The sample was selected using simple random sampling. The research instruments included a personal information questionnaire, the Perceived Health Status Scale, the Self-Efficacy in Self-Care Scale, the Social Support Questionnaire, the Comorbidity Index, the Depression Scale, and the Patient Activation Measure (PAM).

Results: The majority of participants with ischemic stroke demonstrated a high level of patient activation (Level 4), indicating their ability to adopt new health behaviors and maintain them even under pressure, accounting for 96.2%. Statistically significant positive correlations were found between patient activation and perceived health status (r=0.46, p<0.001), as well as self-efficacy (r =0.50, p<0.001). In contrast, comorbid conditions (r=-0.34, p<0.001) and depression (r=-0.27, p=0.004) were significantly and negatively correlated with patient activation. No significant correlations were found between patient activation and age (r=0.02, p=0.635) or social support (r=0.17, p=0.074)

Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that perceived health status, self-efficacy, depression, and comorbid conditions are significantly associated with patient activation in self-care among individuals with ischemic stroke. In contrast, age and social support were not found to be associated with patient activation.