Social and Environmental Determinants of Stroke Functional Outcome and Strategies to Reduce Inequities
Updated: May 11, 2026
- Social, economic, and environmental determinants of health play a major but underrecognized role in shaping stroke functional outcomes and recovery.
- Advances in acute stroke care alone are insufficient to eliminate disparities in recovery, as inequities in stroke functional outcome and secondary stroke prevention persist due to upstream, non-clinical factors.
- Sustained improvements in stroke recovery and secondary prevention depend on organizational capacity, equitable implementation based on need, and supportive community and policy infrastructure, without which patient-level interventions are unlikely to be effective or durable.