COVID-19 Is a Catalyst for Future Changes in Stroke Nursing Care

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals still have to meet external regulations while delivering compassionate patient care. This reflections article provides a solution for certified stroke programs to continue to meet stroke certification requirements. One area of focus, in this article, is stroke education. Because of “shelter-in-place orders,” there were no visitors permitted at the bedside, yet we know that high-quality poststroke education is important to improve outcomes. The purpose of this reflections article is to share what has worked at my institution. INNOVATIONS: We found that calling family members to engage them in stroke education was a great option. They seemed engaged, took notes, and asked questions. Nurses document details from these phone encounters in the patient's medical record. Many people placed the call on speaker so other family members could listen to the education session. While family members were at home, telehealth nursing has its own set of challenges. Although telehealth is not a perfect solution, it was one we found most reasonable and found it to work well through this unprecedented time. SUMMARY: These strategies are being shared to promote dissemination of innovative nursing interventions that will help to continue providing loved ones with the information and education they deserve to receive even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reflections on Transitioning a Traumatic Brain Injury Support Group Online During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…5 Nursing ingenuity and nursing innovations were propelled during the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to expand as the pandemic lingers. 6,7 The successful transition of this TBI support group to a virtual format allowed the facilitators to continue to provide community resources and social support to…”

Nursing’s Contributions to Stroke Care During COVID-19

“…Nurses working in stroke centers and other settings have come up with creative solutions to help minimize the use of scarce personal protective gear (eg, 3D printers), maintaining open lines of communication with staff and leadership, providing remote family poststroke education, and continuing effective staff collaboration (eg, Adapted Stroke Unit Model) while following COVID-19 guidelines. 2–4 Wira et al 5 offers suggestions on how stroke center nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician associates could be reassigned to provide more direct patient care (eg, ER, floor, ICU) during the pandemic and placed on teams following additional education and mentorship. Finally, Liaw et al 6 describe how the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the development of best practice recommendations for stereotactic radiosurgery for stroke patients illustrating how a crisis can lead to positive outcomes (eg, guidelines).…”

COVID-19 and stroke—Understanding the relationship and adapting services. A global World Stroke Organisation perspective

“…19 During the pandemic successful application has been described in TIA clinics, 35 physical, occupational, and speech therapy rehabilitation, 36 and nursing communication with families. 37 The benefits of video technology, allowing limited examination and an awareness of the patient’s expression, over telephone consultation have been demonstrated. 38 It was often suggested that many stroke patients, being elderly, would not manage well with the technology but video technology has been shown to be well adopted to by outpatients with stroke and cognitive impairment.…”