Iranian Journal of Rehabilitation Research in Nursing

Introduction: Stroke is the most common nervous disorder in the world. For successful implementation of physical rehabilitation programs for these patients it is crucial that any important relevant factors on this process to be explored. This study using a systematic review of relevant literature was done to comprehensively investigate these factors.

Methods: Our study was a systematic review. We conducted a search on international  scientific digital data bases including: Science Direct, pub Med, ProQuest, Google Scholar, Elsevier and Ovid databases spanning 1991-2014 using CVA, Stroke, Rehabilitation, physical Rehabilitation key words and national databases including: Iron doc, Iran Medex, SID spanning 1380-1393 using Persian equivalent keywords. We found 648 relevant articles from which only 7 original articles and 8 review articles were qualified for inclusion in our systematic review.

Results: Based on the resulting data the most important contributing factors in physical rehabilitation of stroke patients determined as follows: Age of stroke survivor, Early scheduling of rehabilitation programs, mental status, Self-care capabilities and extension and severity of hemiplegia.

Conclusion: It is very important that the members of rehabilitation team have a clear understanding about relevant effective factors contributing to successful implementation of rehabilitation programs in stroke patients. This good understanding can safeguard smooth transition of these clients toward recovery.