Barriers to Enrollment in Post-Stroke Brain Stimulation in a Racially and Ethnically Diverse Population.
Timea Hodics, Leonardo G Cohen, John C Pezzullo and 2 others
PMID 35925037WHAT IT FOUND
Only 1.9% of acute stroke patients qualified for a brain stimulation trial.
Most exclusions were due to strict study criteria like prior strokes or age, not safety concerns. This suggests future trials need broader eligibility to improve enrollment rates.
Key findings
01Only 44 of 2,327 stroke patients met eligibility criteria for the stimulation trial.
02The majority of exclusions were due to study-specific criteria such as lack of suitable upper extremity impairment or prior strokes, rather than safety issues related to stimulation.
03Safety contraindications for stimulation excluded only 3.6% of stroke patients, indicating that most patients are physically eligible for this type of intervention.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study was conducted in a single urban center, so findings may not generalize to rural or other demographic settings. Race and ethnicity were sometimes recorded based on medical personnel assumptions rather than patient self-identification. The study focused on acute stroke; results may not apply to chronic stroke populations. Third-party reimbursement issues were not recorded, which may have influenced patient availability or willingness to participate.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The study was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that brain stimulation is safe or effective for the majority of stroke patients based on this study. It only reports that most patients did not have physical contraindications to the procedure, not that the treatment worked or that they would benefit from it.