In a retrospective audit of 109 stroke admissions to an inpatient subacute neurosciences ward, caregiver education and training (CGET) documentation was inconsistent across disciplines and domains, and the authors conclude that multidisciplinary CGET provision and documentation needs to be consistent, particularly for cognition, continence, mobility and activities of daily living.
The audit of 109 stroke admissions identified 1398 documented episodes of caregiver education and training (CGET).
Social work and occupational therapy documented CGET more consistently than other disciplines.
CGET was significantly more likely to be documented for patients with cognitive impairment.
Few patients with memory impairment had documented CGET on memory strategies.
Nursing staff documented minimal CGET across all domains, including continence management.
Documented CGET on stroke recovery relating to activities of daily living, mobility and cognition was inconsistent.
Variable documentation practices made the audit data difficult to interpret.
The authors conclude that multidisciplinary CGET provision and documentation needs to be consistent, particularly for cognition, continence, mobility and activities of daily living.
This study reviewed the medical records of 109 people admitted after a stroke to a subacute rehabilitation ward, looking at how well staff documented education and training given to family members or other caregivers. Caring for someone after a stroke is demanding, and caregivers often report unmet needs, so preparing them before the patient goes home is considered important. The records showed 1398 documented instances of caregiver education and training. Social workers (79.9%) and occupational therapists (77.1%) documented it most often. Nurses documented very little, including on bladder and bowel management. Training was more often recorded for patients with thinking or cognitive problems, but only 3 of 28 patients with memory problems had caregiver training on memory strategies recorded. Documentation on daily living tasks, mobility and cognition was also patchy. This research suggests that caregiver training after stroke may not be delivered or recorded consistently across the care team, especially for cognition, continence, mobility and daily activities. Because this was a review of records, it cannot show whether training was actually missing or simply not written down, nor whether training matched each patient's needs. The authors call for more consistent practice and further research.
McCarthy M, Baker N, Selenitsch N, den Berg M. (2026). Stroke Caregiver Education and Training in an Inpatient Sub-Acute Setting: A Retrospective Clinical Audit.. Journal of evaluation in clinical practice. https://doi.org/10.1111/jep.70690