Conclusion
Since the term ‘apoplexy’ where stroke was related to the act of
striking in the sense of a divine blow given or received and the
subsequent ‘Cerebral Vascular Accident’ when ‘patient’s own
responsibility’ was at the forefront, the term stroke has now evolved to
‘Brain Attack’, exactly as to denote the fact that it is caused by a lack of
blood supply to the brain, very much like a heart attack is caused by a
lack of blood supply to the heart. This definition also stresses the
urgent call for immediate action by the general public and emergency
treatment accordingly.
Historically stroke continues to be of major concern to
communities, especially under the increasing ageing populations and
the financial burden imposed to most societies. Yet, of special
importance in contemporary times is to ensure the provision of stroke
services with high quality can be made readily available.
In this line, health care professionals and nurses in particular, have
a key role to play to ensure public awareness, the confronting of risk
factors and state of the art treatment of acute stroke and long term
implications with humane care delivery. Such professional attitudes
and an increased interest in international research for stroke, strive at
finding improved therapies for stroke patients of all ages. Thus,
changes in policy and practice would benefit stroke victims within
contemporary Health Care Services.