Development of a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Program for Stroke Patients: A Delphi Study

Objective: The study aim was to develop a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program for stroke patients using a Delphi survey. Methods: Ten experts with experience in relevant lectures, research, and clinical practice were recruited for this study. A literature review was conducted to construct evidence-based survey items. For the 1st Delphi survey, suitable items were extracted based on responses from an expert panel obtained through a semi-structured survey. The 2nd and 3rd Delphi surveys were conducted to assess the appropriateness of each item. Results: Results of the Delphi survey for each item included a final mean of 3.60, standard deviation of 0.48, Content Validity Ratio (CVR) of 0.96, Item-level Content Validity Index (I-CVI) of 0.98, reliability of 0.13, convergence of 0.43, and consensus of 0.77, indicating high validity. The final components of the cognitive-behavioral therapy program were ‘education on cognitivebehavioral therapy, cognitive restructuring, behavioral interventions, and activity completion,’ Sixteen relevant topics were derived. Conclusion: This study is significant because it demonstrates the high reliability and validity of the final items and provides the first guidelines for a cognitive-behavioral therapy program for stroke patients.