BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS TO ACCESS TO REHABILITATION SERVICES IN BRAZIL FOR POST-STROKE INDIVIDUALS IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF RECOVERY

Post-stroke individuals should have immediate and full access to rehabilitation services after hospital discharge. This access must be obtained in the first six months of the event, a period where the chances of recovery are greater. Thus, it becomes relevant to know the barriers and facilitators of this access. However, studies on this topic were not found in developing countries such as Brazil. To identify barriers and facilitators to access to rehabilitation services for post-stroke individuals discharged from a stroke unit of a public hospital in Brazil in the first six months of recovery. A cross-sectional and descriptive study was developed. Sociodemographic and clinical-functional data were collected in the hospital during the acute phase. Six months after discharge, data on barriers and facilitators to access to rehabilitation services were collected, considering 20 aspects related to the economic conditions and displacement to rehabilitation services, quality, and organization of rehabilitation services, as well as individual's personal conditions. 174 individuals (62±21 years old) were included. Among the 20 aspects analyzed, 17 (85%) were most frequently pointed out as facilitators. The main facilitators pointed out was the patient's expectation of the treatment and the quality of care offered, identified by the vast majority (>79%) of the individuals. In addition, all aspects related to the quality of rehabilitation services were pointed out as facilitators by the majority of the subjects. Three (15%) aspects were most frequently pointed out as barriers: income available for health care (49.4%), waiting time to make an appointment and be attended (47.2%), and scheduling process (45.4%). More facilitators than barriers were pointed out. That is, in the first six months of recovery, aspects related to economic conditions and displacement to rehabilitation services, organization of rehabilitation services, quality of rehabilitation services and personal conditions of the individual, have, for the most part, positively influenced the access to rehabilitation services for post-stroke individuals. Considering the identified barriers, public policies to subsidize health costs and optimize the waiting time and scheduling process in rehabilitation services should be considered relevant tools to facilitate access to rehabilitation services for post-stroke individuals. Likewise, human, and financial resources must be directed towards promoting the enablin