Stroke Rehabilitation Utilizing Therapeutical Methods Designed for Nature Environments

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Stroke; Stress, Psychological; Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; Depression, Anxiety; Loneliness
• Interventions: Behavioral: Therapies in nature

• Registration Number: NCT06633146
• Lead Sponsor: Joint Authority for Päijät-Häme Social and Health Care

Brief Summary

Outpatient participants with a recent stroke diagnoses receive complimentary rehabilitation. The nature interventions include ergo- and physiotherapeutic and neurocognitive tasks with the support of an psychotherapeutic frame designed to be performed in a nature environment.

Detailed Description

Patients with an acute stroke are recruited to the study when signing out from the acute hospital care services. The patients are selected randomly into two groups: intervention and control groups in proportions 1:1. During the four-week study period the partipants in the control group are encouraged to maintain light physical activity 1 to 3 times per week with or without company. The research worker contacts the participants every week. In the nature group the research worker organises individual nature visits in the nearby nature twice a week and encourages the participants to go outdoors with a close-one once a week. All interventional contacts in the nature group are performed in a ecopsychotherapeutical frame consisting of ergo- and physiotherapeutic and neurocognitive tasks.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2024-06-01
• Study First Submitted: 2024-07-03
• Status Verified: 2024-10
• Study First Submitted QC: 2024-10-07
• Study First Posted: 2024-10-09
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-02-25
• Last Update Posted: 2025-02-28
• Primary Completion: 2026-12-31
• Study Completion: 2027-12-31

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 40

Inclusion Criteria

• Acute stroke

Exclusion Criteria

• Traumatic intracranial bleeding without stroke
• A malign, aggressive disease
• Severe aphasia or incapable of independent decision making

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Nature intervention group	Therapies in nature	Participants take part in therapeutic individual and group sessions organised in nearby nature by the research worker.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
The effect of nature interventions on PROMIS questionnaire	4 weeks	Self-assessed quality of life assessed by a PROMIS (patient-reported outcomes measurement information system) questionnaire. Time points measured wk 0 and wk 4, efficacy evaluated on the basis of the difference between these time points. An increase in the obtained score is considered a positive effect.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
The effect of nature-based intervention on neurocognitive functions in COMET questionnaire	4 wk	Assessment of the efficacy of nature-based neuropsychological tasks on neurocognitive functions by a cognitive test COMET (cognitive method) -questionnaire. The total score is evaluated wk0 and wk4. An increase in the total score is considered a positive effect.
The effect of nature interventions on moods assessed by GAD7	4 weeks	Evaluation of anxiety scales by a GAD7 (generalised anxiety disorder 7) interview, the score of the questionnaire (0-21 points) is evaluated wk 0 and wk 4. A decrease in the total score is considered as a positive effect on moods.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Joint Authority for Päijät-Häme Social and Health Care; 🇫🇮 Lahti, Finland