THE ROLE OF REHABILITATION GUIDANCE SPECIALISTS IN CONTINUITY OF STROKE REHABILITATION: ADDRESSING PATIENT INACTIVITY AND GAPS IN NON-TREATMENT PERIOD CARE

Abstract

Stroke rehabilitation is a prolonged and systematic process essential for optimizing patient recovery and quality of life. However, current clinical practice often faces challenges such as patients’ weak awareness and engagement in active rehabilitation, a s well as a lack of rehabilitation activities during non -treatment periods. Patients frequently remain in passive states due to insufficient professional guidance, while healthcare providers, burdened by heavy workloads, struggle to deliver continuous and individualized rehabilitation education and training. This review explores the critical role of rehabilitation guidance specialists throughout the entire stroke rehabilitation cycle. By analyzing the current deficiencies in patient-driven rehabilitation an d the consequences of absent interventions during non - treatment times, the article highlights the positioning and operational models of rehabilitation guidance specialists. It further discusses their potential impact on improving rehabilitation outcomes. T he integration of rehabilitation guidance specialists into stroke rehabilitation teams is proposed as a promising and conceptually feasible strategy to address existing gaps; however, direct empirical evidence for this specific role remains unavailable and rigorous clinical validation is needed. Theoretically, these specialists could enhance patient compliance and initiative, optimize rehabilitation resource utilization, and promote continuity in whole - cycle stroke rehabilitation, but these potential benefi ts have yet to be demonstrated in controlled studies. This review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how a Correspondence author: Yu-Cong Zou , Department of Rehabilitation, Zhuhai Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese & Western Medicine E-mail: zyc0118@smu.edu.cn Yu-Cong Zou Research in Education and Rehabilitation 2026; 9 (1): 233-253 DOI: 10.51558/2744-1555.2026.9.1.233 234 rehabilitation guidance specialists can transform stroke recovery paradigms and improve long-term patient prognosis.