'My Stroke Companion' - a dual-site two-armed controlled trial
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A dual-site two-armed controlled trial investigating the effect of the ‘My Stroke Companion’, a digital support package for stroke survivors, family members and clinicians: A comparative study of outcomes versus standard care
IRAS ID
353879
Contact name
Daisy Allington
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cognitant Group Ltd.
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
In the UK over 150,000 people experience stroke every year, with ~1.3 million people living with the consequences of a stroke (Rowe et al., 2013). The financial burden of post-stroke care on the NHS is substantial, with each new stroke estimated to cost over £45,000 in the first year alone (Patel et al., 2020). Stroke is a leading cause of disability and significantly disrupts the lives of survivors and their families, causing not only severe physical and cognitive impairments but also a range of other debilitating conditions.
While considerable attention has rightly been given to the primary causes of vascular disease, there has been comparatively limited focus on the lifestyle factors and behaviours that could mitigate risk of stroke recurrence. Given that recurrent strokes often result in more severe clinical deficits, increased disability, and higher care costs, it is imperative that stroke survivors and carers are fully informed about the underlying causes of their stroke and equipped with the knowledge necessary to reduce the likelihood of future events.
‘My Stroke Companion’ (MSC) is a digital support programme designed to meet this need, supporting stroke survivors and their families after stroke. The platform offers tailored, relevant, and credible information and resources for stroke survivors and their families, personalised by their clinician, and including information specific to their individual diagnosis, care plan and prescribed medicines.
We aim to understand the benefits of this tool for stroke survivors and caregivers across four domains 1) prevention of future stroke; 2) motivation and engagement; 3) equity of access and information sharing and 4) post-stroke non-motor impairments. This assessment will comprise validated quantitative measures taken at 2 timepoints; baseline and 3-month follow-up, and semi-structured qualitative interviews.
REC name
Wales REC 5
REC reference
25/WA/0204
Date of REC Opinion
15 Jul 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion