Stroke patients in China show three distinct profiles in discharge planning preferences

Patients recovering from stroke differ markedly in how much they want to be involved in planning their discharge from hospital, according to a cross-sectional study of 313 stroke patients in China. Using latent profile analysis, the researchers identified three distinct groups of participation preferences: a low participation, passive dependence type accounting for 40.6 percent of patients, a moderate participation, balanced adaptation type making up 21.7 percent, and a high participation, information-driven type comprising 37.7 percent. The average score for preferences to participate in discharge planning was 62.97, with a standard deviation of 10.07, which the authors characterize as a moderate overall level with significant heterogeneity across patients.

The study, published in BMC Health Services Research, recruited participants through convenience sampling and assessed them with a general data questionnaire, the Patient Participation Preferences Assessment, the Stroke Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, and the Health Behavior Scale for Stroke Patients. The researchers used latent profile analysis to classify patients’ preferences for participating in discharge planning, and then applied unordered multinomial logistic regression to identify the factors associated with membership in the different preference profiles.

Five factors were significantly associated with the participation preference groups: per capita monthly family income, pre-stroke living situation, main caregiver type, rehabilitation self-efficacy, and health behavior level, all with P values below 0.05. The authors note that the study was designed to identify associations rather than to establish causal effects, and that the convenience sampling method limits the generalizability of the findings to the broader population of stroke patients.

The research addresses a gap the authors identify in person-centered care. They write that person-centered care has been recognized as a core principle in modern nursing practice, but that when patients need to be transferred to long-term care, patient preferences regarding involvement in this transition process have not been adequately addressed and systematically explored in existing research. The study’s stated aim was to explore latent profiles of participation preferences in discharge planning among stroke patients and to analyze associated factors, in order to maximize the discharge plan and transitional care.

Based on their findings, the authors conclude that clinical staff should identify the characteristics of the preferences of patients in different categories to participate in discharge planning, and develop targeted interventions for the low participation, passive dependence type. Because nearly four in ten patients in the sample fell into this low-participation group, the results suggest that a substantial minority of stroke patients may prefer a more passive role in decisions about their transition out of hospital, while a similar share prefers to be highly informed and involved. The authors emphasize that recognizing these distinct profiles could help clinicians tailor discharge planning and transitional care to individual patient preferences rather than applying a uniform approach.

As a cross-sectional study, the work captures preferences at a single point in time and cannot track how they change over the course of recovery or across care transitions. The findings are specific to the sampled population of stroke patients in China and to the instruments used in the investigation. The article was published as open access research on 28 October 2026, and the published version notes that it is an early-release version subject to further edits before the final Version of Record.

Subject of Research: Participation preferences in discharge planning among stroke patients in China

Article Title: Participation preferences in discharge planning among patients with stroke in China: a cross-sectional study using latent profile analysis

Article References: Xu, C., Xiang, L., Cheng, D., He, L., He, K., Liu, Y., Tai, L., Luo, Y., & Zhang, X. (2026). Participation preferences in discharge planning among patients with stroke in China: a cross-sectional study using latent profile analysis. BMC Health Services Research. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-026-15970-5

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12913-026-15970-5

Keywords: stroke, discharge planning, patient participation, latent profile analysis, person-centered care, transitional care, cross-sectional study, China, self-efficacy, nursing, Participation, preferences