Secondary prevention
Stroke education includes explaining stroke to the patient/
family, discussing risk factors especially those that
are modifiable, and describing secondary prevention
such as compliance with prescribed medications (Summers
et al. 2009).
A teaching plan has been developed that includes
topics such as: what is a stroke, signs and symptoms of
a stroke, activating Emergency Medical Services (EMS),
types of stroke, what to do to prevent a future stroke,
common complications, rehabilitation, and recovery/
prognosis, including topics like hemiplegic/hemiparesis,
and aphasia). Nursing staff individualizes the plan for
each patient and provides education for the patient and
family. The American Stroke Associations (ASA) Lets
Talk about Stroke series of educational materials are
used to provide consistent educational materials for our
patients (American Stroke Association (ASA) 2010).
Both the ASA and the National Stroke Association
(NSA) offer many materials for patient and family
education and information.
Our facilitys Stroke education packets are preassembled
and available for staff to use for education
with the patient and family. Patient and family education
is documented on the care plan and teaching record.
To ensure compliance, our Patient Care Directors,
Stroke Coordinator, and Core Measures Abstractor
monitor the education of the Stroke patient and family
on an ongoing basis.