Introduction: A stroke is defined as a focal neurological disorder with a sudden impairment of brain function. It causes dizziness, double vision or unilateral vision disturbances, weakness on one side of the body, speech difficulties, balance disorders, fatigue and reduced sensitivity. Individuals who have suffered a stroke face numerous challenges making the transition to a home environment, due to physical and cognitive limitations, in performing and participating in activities or occupations. Aim: The aim was to review the literature on the topic of social reintegration in the rehabilitation process of people after stroke and to determine the role of occupational therapy in this process. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted following the guidelines of the Joanna Briggs Institute. Studies were searched based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria in CINAHL, PubMed, OTseeker, and Web of Science. The keywords were in English and were combined with the Boolean operators AND and OR. Studies were categorized by level of evidence and assessed for relevance and quality according to the Joanna Briggs Institute criteria. Results: The final analysis included 12 studies belonging to different levels of evidence and with varying degrees of methodological quality. The studies identified social inclusion as a key process in rehabilitation and identified the following themes: challenges of reintegration into society, the facilitators of social inclusion, the barriers to social inclusion for people after stroke and the role of occupational therapy in this process. Discussion and Conclusion: People after stroke face difficulties in social integration and risk social isolation. The process of social reintegration after stroke can be influenced by both positive and negative factors, due to cognitive, physical and communication limitations. Occupational therapy has proven to be an important intervention, especially through selected broader daily activities. We found that people who were part of occupational therapy treatment after stroke demonstrated an improvement in social quality of life.
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