Call for human contact and support: an interview study exploring patients' experiences with inpatient stroke rehabilitation and their perception of nurses' and nurse assistants' roles and functions

Purpose: To describe patients' experiences with inpatient stroke rehabilitation and their perception of nurses' and nurse assistants' roles and functions during hospitalisation. Materials and methods: In a qualitative study, 10 interviews with stroke patients were conducted, transcribed, and analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results: The patients' experiences with inpatient stroke rehabilitation and their perception of nurses' and nurse assistants' roles and functions during hospitalisation were found to be related to one overall theme derived from 10 categories. As a recurring motif in the patients' interviews, they experienced existential thoughts, and these thoughts unquestionably affected their experiences within the rehabilitation unit. These thoughts enhanced their need for human contact, thereby affecting their relationships with and perceptions of the nursing staff. Conclusion: The findings deepen our understanding of how patients experience inpatient rehabilitation. The patients struggled with existential thoughts and concerns about the future and therefore called for human contact and support from the nursing staff. They perceived the nursing staff as mostly polite and helpful, but were unclear about the nursing staff's function in rehabilitation which, in the patients' perspective, equals physical training.