Ethnicity and health-related quality of life in the post stroke population: a systematic review.
Ying Xing Lee, Cornelie D Andela, Korné Jellema and 3 others
PMID 39749420WHAT IT FOUND
Eight of 11 stroke studies found better quality of life in majority ethnic groups; 2 found better outcomes in minority groups, and 1 found no difference.
Asians scored better in two studies. Where measured, differences were small or moderate.
Key findings
01In 11 included studies, 8 reported better post-stroke quality of life in majority ethnic groups, 1 found no difference, and 2 reported better outcomes in minority groups.
02Two studies involving Asian groups reported better outcomes for Asians than the other groups compared, and one of these had Asians as the minority group.
03When the size of difference could be measured, 6 studies allowed this; 2 showed moderate differences and 4 showed small differences.
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
The review could not combine the studies because they used different ethnic groups, stroke types, questionnaires and follow-up times. Seven studies were from the United States, so results may not apply to other health-care systems. Follow-up time was not reported in 3 studies, and only 4 studies followed patients for more than 90 days. The included studies were observational, so they show associations, not that ethnicity caused differences in quality of life.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read ethnicity as causing lower quality of life or as a reason to give a specific treatment. The review included observational studies, could not pool them, and minority groups were not always worse; Asians had better outcomes in two studies.