Effects of Home-Based Supportive Care on Improvements in Physical Function and Depressive Symptoms in Patients With Stroke: A Meta-Analysis

Objective To examine the effects of home-based supportive care on improvements in physical function and depressive symptoms in home-dwelling patients after stroke. Data Sources Seven electronic databases (eg, MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAL, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, ProQuest, and Google Scholar) and 4 Chinese databases (eg, WANFANG MED ONLINE, Chinese Electronic Periodical Services, China Academic Journals Full-text Database, and National Central Library) were fully searched for all relevant articles up to June 25, 2016. Study Selection Randomized controlled trials examining the effects of home-based supportive care on physical function and depressive symptoms in home-dwelling patients after stroke were included. Finally, 16 articles in Chinese (n=4) and English (n=12) met the inclusion criteria. Data Extraction Data on patient characteristics, study characteristics, intervention details, and outcome were extracted. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed methodological quality using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Data Synthesis Home-based supportive care had a small size effect on physical function (Hedges' g=.17; 95% confidence interval,.09–.26) and a moderate size effect on depressive symptoms (Hedges' g=−.44; 95% confidence interval, −.83 to −.05) in home-dwelling patients after stroke. The moderator analysis revealed that some components of study participants and intervention programs improved the effects on physical function and depressive symptoms; however, no significant moderators were further identified to have superiorly improved physical function and depressive symptoms. Conclusions Regular performance of home-based supportive interventions should be considered for inclusion as routine care for managing and improving physical function and depressive symptoms in home-dwelling patients after stroke. The present findings provide further evidence with which to design appropriate supportive interventions for home-dwelling stroke survivors.