Breakfast group intervention for acute stroke units

About the project

Feasibility of a breakfast group intervention for acute stroke units, to provide intensive eating and drinking interventions as well as integrated multi-disciplinary team working and personalised care.

People with stroke welcome opportunities to address eating and drinking problems early in their rehabilitation and would like more opportunities to practice the skills needed to regain independence. Early rehabilitation interventions have the potential to improve long-term outcomes by providing strategies, assistive devices and rehabilitation as early as possible in stroke recovery.

People with stroke seem to enjoy the social aspects of sharing a meal together and welcome the opportunity to practice their rehabilitation strategies in a more meaningful and purposeful way. Health care professionals are using breakfast groups to provide opportunities to practice preparation and consumption of food and drink with enabling support. They are delivering this in a variety of ways and unsure about which way is best.

This study aims to find out if it is possible to improve patient outcomes by providing more intensive interventions in a breakfast group format delivered by a range of health care professionals, who are sharing skills and working collaboratively, supported by an integrated approach to assessment, care planning and measuring outcomes.

This research question and study design have been shaped by patients, stroke researchers and health care professionals. They will also be involved throughout the study as this research will be co-produced and co-designed by a stakeholder and advisory groups, comprising of expert researchers, patients, public, carers and stroke unit health care professionals.