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Summary
Nurses play a significant role in the care of patients who have had a stroke, whether in the acute stages or longer term. This article summarises the signs and symptoms of stroke and the main risk factors. It outlines the role of the nurse in providing the best care and advice for stroke patients, their families and carers.
Keywords
Cerebrovascular accident; Hypertension; Stroke: rehabilitation; Stroke: services; Stroke units
These keywords are based on the subject headings from the British Nursing Index. This article has been subject to double-blind review. For author and research article guidelines visit the Nursing Standard home page at www.nursing-standard.co.uk. For related articles visit our online archive and search using the keywords.
Aims and intended learning outcomes
This article is aimed at nurses in training and nurses who are not stroke care specialists. It outlines some key areas of care carried out by nurses. After reading this article you should be able to:
* Summarise what a stroke is and detail the main risk factors.
* Identify the main areas of nursing care fora patient who has had a stroke.
* Compare and contrast the care delivered locally to stroke patients with that recommended nationally.
* Refer to ongoing stroke research, identifying new areas for further personal enquiry relevant to your work.
Time out 1
Before reading further answer the following questions:
* What proportion of the population do you think have a stroke each year?
* What age groups are affected by stroke?
Introduction
Stroke is defined as a: 'clinical syndrome of presumed vascular origin, typified by rapidly developing signs of focal or global disturbance of cerebral functions lasting more than 24 hours or leading to death' (World Health Organization (WHO) 1978). In the developed world it is now the second leading cause of death and the leading cause of disability in adults after heart disease (WHO 2003). Heart disease and stroke are now the two leading causes of death in some developing countries (WHO 2003).
Approximately 111,000 people have a stroke each year in the UK (National Audit Office (NAO) 2005), with between 174 and 216 strokes occurring each year for every 100,000 of the population in the UK (Mant et al 2004). Stroke is generally perceived as...