Development of a scale to assess nurses' knowledge of stroke: a pilot study

Knowledge on Stroke Recognition and Management among Emergency Department Healthcare Professionals in the Republic of Cyprus

Stroke is a global leading cause of death and disability. Knowledge of related guidelines is crucial for emergency department (ED) staff, influencing early diagnosis and timely treatment. We investigated Greek Cypriot ED healthcare professionals' (nurses and physicians) knowledge in recognizing and managing stroke. A descriptive cross-sectional study spanned November 2019 to April 2020, encompassing four private and seven public EDs in the Republic of Cyprus. The data were collected through a self-reported questionnaire developed by the research team, consisting of 37 questions. Eight questions focused on sociodemographic and employment characteristics, twenty-eight assessed knowledge in stroke recognition and management (each item was equally weighted without deliberate prioritization), and one question addressed self-assessment of knowledge in stroke care. A total of 255 nurses (response rate (RR): 74.1%) and 26 physicians (RR: 47.3%) completed the questionnaire. The average correct response rate was 12.9 out of 28 statements (SD: 4.2), with nurses and physicians scoring 12.6 (SD: 4.1) and 15.7 (SD: 4), respectively. Work experience significantly influenced stroke knowledge, with all groups demonstrating superiority over those with less than one year of experience. Participants with previous training scored an average of 1.45 additional correct answers while educational attainment did not significantly influence stroke knowledge. Investigating stroke knowledge among emergency department nurses and physicians in the Republic of Cyprus revealed significant deficits. This study stresses targeted interventions, including education, yearly examinations, workshops with hands-on training, and repeated training, to address these gaps and enhance the overall stroke care capabilities of the healthcare professionals.

MEASURING KNOWLEDGE OF JORDANIAN NURSES WORKING IN CRITICAL CARE UNITS TOWARD STROKE PATIENTS

Background. Stroke is a devastating disease. It is a major cause for the neurological admission to hospitals all over the world. Limited knowledge among the critical care nurses about stroke in general and specifically about the risk factors, signs, and symptoms of stroke usually is a main source of delayed prompt stroke management and non-compliance with follow-up rehabilitation. Therefore, there is a need for a study that examines the impact of these factors in order to promote stroke management and improve nursing care outcomes.Aim. This study aimed at measuring the knowledge of Jordanian nurses working in critical care units toward stroke patients.Methods. This cross-sectional study used the descriptive approach in order to measure the knowledge of the Jordanian nurses working in critical care units regarding stroke patients in the Jordanian hospitals. Data were collected from Jordanian critical care units' nurses from seven hospitals; five private and two public hospitals. Critical care units’ nurses were selected conveniently based on specific inclusion criteria. Eligible participants were required to complete self–reported questionnaires about knowledge in addition to completing demographic questionnaires. The descriptive and inferential statistics were conducted using the SPSS software. Results. A total of (200) Critical care units’ nurses from public and private hospitals participated in the study. The nurses in this study exhibited poor knowledge on the study scales. There were statistically significant differences among nurses according to the type of hospital on the one scales (P< .05). There is a negative relationship between the knowledge and years of nursing practice in ER or ICU (P= .013).Conclusions. The measures of knowledge among the nurses in critical care units in the Jordanian hospitals towards stroke patients seem to be highly poor. Nurses in critical care units seem to have acceptable information, but inadequate to correctly enhance stroke awareness. There is a gap that should be stuffed via planning and implementation of educational and instructional programs focused on hospital nurses as well as community sectors in order to improve the stoke focus and experience and avoid the delay in accessing the medical help which would, in return, improve stroke management and reduce its effect in Jordan.

The Mauk Model for Poststroke Recovery: assessing the phases

Despite the estimated 795,000 strokes occurring in America annually (American Heart Association, 2009), few practical models guide nurses when they provide quality care to stroke survivors. The Mauk Model for Poststroke Recovery is a theoretical framework concerning six phases of poststroke recovery. The purpose of this article is to discuss a pilot study detailing the ways in which nursing students used the Mauk model to identify these phases of stroke recovery via patient case examples. A sample of 30 volunteer nursing students read five case studies and determined the phase of stroke recovery. Descriptive statistics about sample characteristics and frequencies were calculated using SPSS 14 for Windows. Nearly 57% (n = 17) of the students rated all of the case studies to the correct phase. Ways in which the model might be clarified and used as a valuable tool when assessing the phase of stroke recovery are described.

Emergency Nurses' Knowledge of Evidence-Based Ischemic Stroke Care: A Pilot Study

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this pilot study was to assess emergency nurses' knowledge of evidence-based ischemic stroke care.

DESIGN AND METHODS

A descriptive, correlational design was used. Emergency nurses (N = 20) working in 2 hospitals in the Mid-Atlantic region completed a 10-item multiple choice test on evidence-based ischemic stroke care.

RESULTS

Test scores ranged from 30% to 90%, with a mean of 53% (SD = 12.93) on a scale of 0 to 100%. Forty-five percent (N = 9) of respondents indicated that they read literature on evidence-based ischemic stroke care within the previous 12 months. Respondents who read literature on evidence-based ischemic stroke care had a significantly higher mean test score (P = .04) than did respondents who did not read any literature on evidence-based ischemic stroke care. Only 15% (N = 3) of respondents reported that they had participated in continuing education on evidence-based ischemic stroke care within the previous 12 months. In addition, there was a significant correlation (P = .02) between number of years worked in emergency nursing as a registered nurse and test scores. Nurses with more years experience in emergency nursing had higher test scores.

DISCUSSION

Overall, emergency nurses demonstrated a knowledge deficit in evidence-based ischemic stroke care. The majority of nurses had not participated in continuing education on evidence-based ischemic stroke care within the previous 12 months. Nurses should be provided with evidence-based education on ischemic stroke care and opportunities to participate in continuing education.