Main cause of severe disability after stroke, cognitive and behavioral disorders (CBD) are a challenge for rehabilitation professionals. To complete the offer of care, we have developed a Therapeutic Education Program (TEP) on post-stroke CBD. The goal is to measure TEP effects on quality of life, patients and caregivers’ knowledge, caregiver burden, and assess changes in rehabilitation practice.

Workshops offered to patients and caregivers dealt with 4 topics: dysexecutive syndrome (DS), unilateral spatial neglect, working memory (WM) and episodic memory (EM). Quality of life is assessed by the EuroQol scale and the burden, by the Zarit scale. A questionnaire was distributed to professionals in January 2012 and October 2015 to assess the impact of TEP on their practice.

Nineteen patients and 10 caregivers were included. TEP significantly improved semantic knowledge of patients in the EM (P=0.01), WM (P=0.02) and in the DS groups (P=0.03). TEP had no impact on quality of life or burden of caregivers. In total, 91.5% of participants were satisfied with the workshops. The comparison of the answers to the questionnaires completed by professionals reveals the development of an “educational culture”, with an onerous investment in terms of training and time. In total, 64% of professionals reported that TEP had changed their practice.

Participation and satisfaction rates for patients and caregivers show that TEP has met their expectations. A clear positioning is defined for the caregiver, target of TEP on CBD. Measured burden is low, but Zarit scale may reduce the objective component of burden. Awareness of CBD and decrease in anosognosia may explain the lack of improvement in the quality of life measured by EuroQol. TEP approach has changed professionals practice through their positioning in the patient-professional and caregiver-professional relationship and their collaboration between professionals. Our ultimate goal is to work on integrating this offer of care within rehabilitation units.