Exploring the experiences of stroke patients treated with transcranial magnetic stimulation for upper limb recovery: a qualitative study

Table 1 Demographic characteristics of patients

Patient ID	Gender (M/F)	Age (years)	Time since stroke at interview (months)	Educational level^a	Side of hemiparesis (L/R)	Stroke severity score at hospital admission^b	Independence in ADL at rehabilitation admission^c	Screening for anxiety and depression^d	Level of upper limb impairment post-treatment^e
Stimulated group
1	M	40–50	2	Medium	R	12	20	6	65
2	F	50–60	3	Low	L	6	12	11	64
3	F	40–50	2	Medium	L	10	16	11	28
4	F	50–60	13	Low	R	7	12	3	9
5	F	50–60	12	Low	R	6	12	7	62
Sham group
6	M	70–80	4	Low	L	5	4	13	9
7	M	70–80	3	Low	R	6	6	0	30
8	F	50–60	2	High	R	12	11	6	56
9	F	60–70	9	Low	L	11	17	5	54
10	F	40–50	15	High	R	–	8	3	65
11	F	50–60	10	High	L	15	9	3	10
12	M	30–40	25	High	R	21	20	8	49
13	M	70–80	1	High	R	6	15	7	56

^aEducational level: low = did not complete secondary school or completed low level secondary school; medium = completed medium level secondary school; high = completed upper level secondary school and/or university degree; ^bBased on National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (0–42, higher scores indicating more severe stroke) [23]; ^cBased on Barthel Index (0–20, higher scores indicating greater independence [24]; ^dBased on Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (0–21); higher scores indicating higher risk of anxiety and/or depression disorders [25]; ^eBased on Fugl-Meyer Assessment upper extremity (0–66, higher scores indicating better performance, 1 week post-treatment, max. 6 weeks post-stroke) [26]

ISSN: 1471-2377