Researchers interviewed 18 healthcare professionals (HCPs) from a UK Level 1 neurorehabilitation unit to discuss their experiences of managing the expectations of recovery and working alongside family members during neurorehabilitation.
Three key themes emerged, including high expectations of recovery among family, the necessity of adapting a tailored approach to address family expectations and mutual understanding between HCPs and family.
HCPs reported that expectations were often set before admission, and may be influenced by terminology such as ‘intensive’ and ‘rehabilitation’, which overshadow the disability management component of neurorehabilitation. Family exposure to patients more active and able on the unit may also influence expectations of their loved one’s recovery.
Early and transparent engagement with family members was reported by all HCPs to help set expectations as well as the potential of offering information packs and building rapport.
For further information from the research, visit https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02699052.2025.2606044#d1e728.
Blake, J., Peryer, G., Parke, S., & Farquhar, M. (2026). Healthcare professional experiences of family expectations in inpatient neurorehabilitation. Brain Injury, 40(3)