Barriers and Facilitators to Rehabilitation Care of Individuals With Spatial Neglect: A Qualitative Study of Professional Views.
Peii Chen, Jeanne Zanca, Emily Esposito and 1 others
PMID 34179758WHAT IT FOUND
Therapists identified barriers to spatial neglect care across five levels.
Key obstacles included patient anosognosia, family misunderstanding of the deficit, staff knowledge gaps, equipment constraints, and insurance-driven short stays. Facilitators centered on interdisciplinary collaboration and specialized support.
Key findings
01Patient factors such as anosognosia, low motivation, and physical weakness were perceived as major barriers to effective treatment engagement and efficiency.
02Clinician knowledge gaps and poor interdisciplinary communication, particularly regarding documentation of neglect-specific needs, hindered consistent care delivery.
03System-level barriers included the insensitivity of the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) to neglect symptoms and insurance policies limiting length of stay.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Participants were from a hospital system with a long-standing focus on spatial neglect research, so their knowledge and resources may be higher than average. The study only included OTs and PTs, excluding perspectives from SLPs, nurses, and physicians. Self-selected participants may not represent all therapists. Focus groups did not allow for quantifying the frequency of specific barriers.
Declared interests
No specific funding sources or conflicts of interest were declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these findings as evidence that specific interventions work or fail. This is a qualitative study of therapist perceptions, not a clinical trial. The barriers described are what therapists reported experiencing, which may not reflect the actual efficacy of treatments or the patients' true capabilities.