Effectiveness of adherence intervention programmes for home exercises in stroke survivors: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia
- 2Xinxiang Key Laboratory for Shockware Medicine, Xinxiang, China
- 3Department of Sport Studies, Faculty of Education Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia
- 4Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
Abstract
Objectives To evaluate the effectiveness of interventions designed to improve adherence to self-administered home exercise (HE) among stroke survivors and to examine their effects on functional recovery outcomes.Design A systematic review conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.Data sources like PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Ovid and Scopus were searched from database inception to July 2026.Eligibility criteria Randomised controlled trials involving adults aged ≥18 years with a confirmed diagnosis of stroke were eligible for inclusion. Studies were required to evaluate interventions specifically designed to improve adherence to self-administered HE and to report at least one adherence-related outcome.Data extraction and synthesis Two reviewers independently conducted study screening, data extraction and risk-of-bias assessment. Methodological quality was assessed using the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomised trials (RoB 2).Results Health education interventions delivered by multidisciplinary teams may be more effective in improving adherence to self-administered HE among stroke survivors, particularly when community support is incorporated into the programme. By contrast, the effects of digital and video-based interventions appear to be inconsistent. Exercise adherence was positively correlated with improved functional outcomes.Conclusions This review highlights that although current health education programmes show positive effects, they require substantial resources, making them difficult to implement widely. Future research should use digital platforms to deliver self-administered education and support aimed at improving patients’ adherence to self-administered HE, while ensuring patient safety.
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BibTeX
@article{guo2026effectiveness,
title = {{Effectiveness of adherence intervention programmes for home exercises in stroke survivors: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials}},
author = {Weiwei Guo and Kim Lam Soh and Hasni Idayu Saidi and Kim Geok Soh},
journal = {BMJ Open},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1136/bmjopen-2026-125860},
url = {https://bmjopen.bmj.com/lookup/doi/10.1136/bmjopen-2026-125860},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Effectiveness of adherence intervention programmes for home exercises in stroke survivors: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials
AU - Weiwei Guo
AU - Kim Lam Soh
AU - Hasni Idayu Saidi
AU - Kim Geok Soh
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - BMJ Open
DO - 10.1136/bmjopen-2026-125860
UR - https://bmjopen.bmj.com/lookup/doi/10.1136/bmjopen-2026-125860
AB - Objectives To evaluate the effectiveness of interventions designed to improve adherence to self-administered home exercise (HE) among stroke survivors and to examine their effects on functional recovery outcomes.Design A systematic review conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.Data sources like PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Ovid and Scopus were searched from database inception to July 2026.Eligibility criteria Randomised controlled trials involving adults aged ≥18 years with a confirmed diagnosis of stroke were eligible for inclusion. Studies were required to evaluate interventions specifically designed to improve adherence to self-administered HE and to report at least one adherence-related outcome.Data extraction and synthesis Two reviewers independently conducted study screening, data extraction and risk-of-bias assessment. Methodological quality was assessed using the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomised trials (RoB 2).Results Health education interventions delivered by multidisciplinary teams may be more effective in improving adherence to self-administered HE among stroke survivors, particularly when community support is incorporated into the programme. By contrast, the effects of digital and video-based interventions appear to be inconsistent. Exercise adherence was positively correlated with improved functional outcomes.Conclusions This review highlights that although current health education programmes show positive effects, they require substantial resources, making them difficult to implement widely. Future research should use digital platforms to deliver self-administered education and support aimed at improving patients’ adherence to self-administered HE, while ensuring patient safety.
SN - 2044-6055
SN - 2044-6055
ER -