Beyond Conventional Stroke Guidelines: Setting Priorities

Mariam background is 60 year old lady admitted with left sided weakness and facial droop. Once confirmed stroke using the Recognition of Stroke in the Emergency Room (ROSIER) scale. Catangui (2015) states ROSIER scale is used to distinguish whether the patient is having a stroke or stroke mimics e.g. seizures or brain tumours. Computed tomography CT brain showed ischemic stroke. Ischaemic stroke is lack of sufficient blood supply to perfuse the brain/ cerebral tissue due to narrowing or blocked arteries in the brain (Morrison, 2014). According to Stroke Association (2015) statics shows that 1520000 strokes occur in the United Kingdom.

Strokes are commonly associated with old age, symptoms and awareness are often unnoticed in young adults due to ambiguity about strokes.

The health issue that this artifact discusses is the significance of knowing and recognizing the warning signs of a stroke. The American Heart Association has made it their mission to provide unlimited health information and research in the hopes of eliminating cardiovascular diseases as well as helping society in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. “Stroke is the number 5 cause of death and a leading cause of

To have their symptoms diagnosed, a person must first seek medical treatment. Only 20-25% of patients who are admitted to the hospital with a stroke arrive in the emergency department within 3 hours of the onset of symptoms (3). Once a doctor is able to determine what kind of stroke has occurred, it is important the appropriate medicine be given. If the wrong medicine were given to treat a stroke victim, it could result in death. Treatment for an ischemic stroke will focus mainly on restoring blood flow

In professional experience working at a comprehensive stroke center, early intervention in crucial in decreasing the amount of deficits stroke victims acquire. As I further my education and professional status in the field of Nurse Practitioner, I will be able to participate in in-depth research related to cerebrovascular accidents and quality patient outcomes.

Strokes are the 5th leading cause of death in the US, with one person dying every 4 minutes as a result. For African Americans, stoke is the 3rd leading cause of death.(http://www.cdc.gov/stroke/facts.htm) It is estimated that About 795,000 people have a stroke each year; about one every 40 seconds - there are many medical conditions that can cause a stroke and it is estimated that 8 out of 10 strokes can be prevented. However, there are some things that cannot be controlled when you are predisposed to

Evidence-Base practice (EBP) is defined as based on problems identified from nursing practice; using best evidence and professional expertise and merging them into current practice to ensure patients receive quality care (French, 1999). Evidence-based practice is a part of quality improvement process; it is made of evidence, clinical expertise, patient preference and the context of care (Barker, 2013). In brief, evidence-based practice is the guideline in the nursing practice that requires nurses gather and use clinical evidence to help diagnose or assess patients correctly by using their knowledge and experience in order they can deliver the quality of care to the patients (Ellis, 2013). In the other words, in the nursing practice the clinical evidence supports all the nursing procedures performed.

Stroke previously known as Cerebrovascular accident is well-defined as ‘an abrupt cessation of cerebral circulation in one or more of the blood vessels distributing the brain. Due to the interruption or diminish of oxygen supply causes serious damage or necrosis in the brain tissues (Jauch, Kissella & Stettler, 2005). There is a presence of one or more symptoms such as weakness or numbness or paralysis of the face, arm or leg, difficulty speaking or swallowing, dizziness, loss of balance, loss of vision, sudden blurring or decreased vision in one or both eyes and headache. Stoke is categorised into two types, Ischaemic and haemorrhagic

Some of them are proactive, developed in the care plan and risk assessment of the service users. The aim is to improve every day activities to meet the service users’ needs, rather than react on what if fails (Hollnagel, 2012). Care plans and risks assessment must be agreed with the service users, so they can take control of their care and be able to make informed choices (Morton and Morgan, 2010). They cover different range of needs, as mobility, communication, assistance with daily life activities as personal care, nutrition, medication, etc. The care plan awareness care workers of these needs and the importance of maintain the dignity of service users. It also makes them know that they have to be patient as the service user can mobilise slowly and can have communication difficulties. However, psychological and emotional needs are not covered and it is important to intervene on those needs as they can difficult the rehabilitation (Vohora and Ogi, 2008). At the same time, there is not specific training on stroke provided, which means that the only knowledge carers have is the one provided on the care plan. At the same time, risk assessments allows anticipating hazards and minimising the risks the clients are exposed

Great post and your interventions was very good! I like how you mention education as one of the intervention, which I think it is very important. As a nurse, we are a educator to help with furture complications and well as prevent diseases. Although the patient might might be unconiscous and not able to compheren the education portion, but educating the family is still important. When it comes to a stroke, you must act fast so knowing the signs and symptoms will help the family member to know what to do in case there might be another stroke in the future.

A cerebrovascular accident more commonly known as a stroke or brain attack is the term used to describe the sudden death of brain cells in a localized area due to inadequate blood flow. In order to woke the brain needs a constant supply of oxygen and nutrients. This supply is carried to the brain

Stroke is seen as a major health concern and this is due to the fact that every year, as many as 110,000 individuals suffers from strokes making it a key issue. (NHS 2014)

stroke, the first and third leading causes of death in this country, and is respon-

“Stroke is the 4th leading cause of death in the U.S. and kills more than 133,000 people each year. People do survive stroke--around 795,000 strokes occur each year and there are an estimated 7 million stroke survivors in the U.S.--but they are often left with significant disabilities”(http://www.silverbook.org/stroke)

General public knowledge about stroke definition is sufficient, however the knowledge about stroke warning signs is usually poor. That is why many people do not seek medical attention during occurrence of the first signs and symptoms of stroke. Awareness of these facts and knowledge about prevention, detection, risk factors, and treatments can reduce not only the number of disabilities and death causes by these cardiovascular diseases, but also decrease the money spent on the treatment of stroke. According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2015), stroke costs the United States an estimated $34 billion each year including the cost of health care services, medications, and missed days of work.