Purpose: Patients’ satisfaction with care is a measure of the quality of healthcare services received and a predictor of their adherence to treatment schedule as well as compliance with recommended regime. The importance of understanding factors associated with satisfaction of stroke survivors with outpatient physiotherapy services necessitated this study.

Relevance: Patients receiving physiotherapy care, like other health services, tend to demand value-for-money-and-time now more than ever from their health providers. Hence it is pertinent to examine post-stroke individuals’ satisfaction with physiotherapy. This is with a view of improving the quality of services being received by the patients.

Participants: Sixty stroke survivors who were not aphasic and had no cognitive impairments were recruited for the study.

Methods: A mixed methods technique using qualitative and quantitative data was used. Quantitative data was collected using a socio-demographic questionnaire, the Physical Therapy Outpatient Satisfaction Survey - European version (EPTOPS) and the Modified Motor Assessment Scale (MMAS) to collect socio-demographic data, measure satisfaction and functional ability respectively. Qualitative data was collected using open-ended focus guide in a Focus Group Discussion with stroke survivors. The questions focused on the participants’ perception of stroke and its causes, importance of physiotherapy in their care and satisfaction with physiotherapy services. Questions on satisfaction examined factors relating to satisfaction with care received, relationship with physiotherapists and what can be done to improve satisfaction.

Analysis: Data was summarized using descriptive statistics of mean, frequency percentages and analyzed using Pearsons’ correlation and Spearman’s correlation coefficients at p = 0.05. Qualitative data consisted of the professionally transcribed recorded discussion. The themes that emerged were cost of physiotherapy, relationship with physiotherapist, continuity of care, inadequate personnel and waiting time.

Results: 60 stroke survivors (30 male and 30 females; mean age of 61.70±11.59 years participated in quantitative aspect, while 4 (2 males and 2 females) participated in the qualitative study. Majority of the participants (91.7%) reported good improvement with physiotherapy. Almost half (46.7%) spent a minimum of $140 or more on physiotherapy monthly. There was no significant association between satisfaction and socio-demographics (p > 0.05); and between satisfaction and motor ability (p = 0.41). Qualitative data was grouped under the four domains of the EPTOPS. Enhancers included the themes continuity of care, relationship with personnel; location included proximity of physiotherapy facility to patients’ homes, ease of transportation; detractors were increased waiting time, inadequacy of personnel and equipment while cost was the economic cost of physiotherapy.

Conclusion: There is an overall satisfaction with physiotherapy among Nigerian stroke survivors, due largely to physiotherapists’ skill and relationship with patients. However, a major identified detractor from satisfaction was a lack of continuity of care among Physiotherapists.

Implication: There is need to challenge the structure of care and make provision for continuity of care. Patients who receive treatment from only one physiotherapist during the entire period of intervention may likely be more fully satisfied with care than those receiving care from different physiotherapists.

Keywords: Satisfaction with care, Stroke Survivors, Continuity of care, Physiotherapy

Funding: This study was not funded.