Healthcare providers must consider stroke survivors needs in order to enable a good quality of life after stroke. This review aimed to investigate the perceived needs of the stroke survivors across various domains of care following their discharge from hospital. A meta-ethnographic review of qualitative studies that reported needs of stroke patients after discharge from rehabilitation services was conducted. Main searches were conducted on the following electronic databases: Ovid Medline (1946 to 2021), CINAHL plus (EBSCO), AMED (EBSCO), PsycINFO (1967 to 2021), the Cochrane Library, and PubMed in June 2022. Main outcomes were related to stroke survivors’ views, experiences, and preferences on physical, psychological, social, rehabilitation needs, and other identified needs. Twenty-seven studies were included in the final analysis. The findings show that existing rehabilitation provision for stroke survivors does not address the long-term needs of stroke survivors. Two main issues were revealed concerning the unmet needs of stroke survivors: (1) a lack of information availability and suitability and (2) inadequacy of care and services. It is crucial to further investigate the needs of patients in Asian countries and the Middle East as there is very limited understanding of patients’ needs in the community in these regions.

Background: Continuity of care is critical for optimal stroke rehabilitation, yet gaps in post-stroke services in Saudi Arabia may undermine long-term patient outcomes and recovery. The therapists who care for people with stroke should be aware of patients’ needs post discharge and possess skills to address them. This study explored physiotherapists’ perspectives on gaps in care continuity for stroke patients in Saudi Arabia and identified the training needs required to address these gaps. Methods: An exploratory qualitative study situated within critical realism was conducted using nine semi-structured interviews and three focus groups. Twenty-six physiotherapists who were working in outpatient stroke rehabilitation services participated. Data was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Three major themes emerged. Significant gaps in post-stroke care were identified, including the lack of specialised stroke rehabilitation centres and clinical practice guidelines. Participants described both facilitators and barriers to implementing continuity of care approaches, such as telerehabilitation, self-management and home care. Further, physiotherapists highlighted the need for comprehensive training in stroke assessment and management, along with the development of standardised patient and caregiver educational protocols to support care continuity. Conclusion: The study highlights the need for targeted training programmes to enhance physiotherapists’ competencies in stroke care. It also calls for systemic collaboration among healthcare organisations and policymakers to develop structured post-stroke services.

Background/Objectives: Primary dysmenorrhea is a common menstrual condition that significantly affects women’s daily functioning and quality of life. Although physiotherapy has been shown to reduce menstrual pain, the awareness of these methods in Saudi Arabia remains unclear. This study aimed to assess women’s awareness and experiences of physiotherapy methods for managing primary dysmenorrhea in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among women living in SA between 16 and 28 February 2024. The questionnaire collected information on six sections including on sociodemographic characteristics, menstrual history and pain severity, work-related impact, pain-management practices, healthcare utilisation, and awareness and use of physiotherapy modalities. Convenience sampling was employed, and participation was voluntary and anonymous. Descriptive data analysis was performed using SPSS software. Results: A total of 431 women participated; most were Saudis (91.9%) and aged 18–24 years (43.2%). Primary dysmenorrhea was reported by 86.5% of participants. More than half (58%) had used at least one physiotherapy-related method, mainly heat, massage, or exercise, and 55.2% considered these methods effective. However, most relied on basic home strategies rather than structured physiotherapy interventions. Additionally, 60.8% expressed willingness to use physiotherapy in the future. Conclusions: Despite the frequent use of simple home-based methods, structured physiotherapy interventions remain underutilised. Increasing public education, improving access to physiotherapy services, and integrating self-management guidance and telerehabilitation into women’s health programmes may enhance menstrual pain management and overall quality of life.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291263.].

Continuity of care is critical for optimal stroke rehabilitation, yet gaps in post-stroke services in Saudi Arabia may undermine long-term patient outcomes and recovery. This study explored physiotherapists’ perspectives on gaps in care continuity for stroke patients in Saudi Arabia and identified the training needs required to address these gaps. An exploratory qualitative study situated with critical realism was conducted using semi-structured individual interviews and focus groups. Twenty-six physiotherapists who were working in outpatient stroke rehabilitation participated. Data were collected through three focus groups and nine individual interviews and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Three major themes emerged. First, the significant gaps in post-stroke care were identified, including the lack of specialised rehabilitation centres and clinical practice guideline. Second, participants described both facilitators and barriers to implementing continuity of care approaches, such as telerehabilitation, self-management and home care. Third, physiotherapists highlighted the need for comprehensive training in stroke assessment and management, along with the development of standardised patients and caregiver education protocols to support care continuity. The study highlights the need for targeted training programmes to enhance physiotherapists' competencies in stroke care. It also calls for systemic collaboration among healthcare organisations and policymakers to develop structured post-stroke services.