Chigozirim Izeogu1, Ariah Leday1, Kerindu Iheagwara2
1McGovern Medical School/UT Health Houston, 2Central Connecticut State University
Objective:
Identify barriers to the implementation of stroke education in the acute care setting.
Background:
Stroke education focused on enhancing secondary prevention and recognizing the symptoms and response to stroke has been recommended by stroke experts for over 20 years. With no broadly accepted guidelines or best practices to guide the content of stroke education, methodology, mode of delivery, or timing of administration hospitals continue to operate in a data-free zone, despite widespread provision. Understanding the stroke education process and identifying barriers can increase transparency and lead to an improved process.
Design/Methods:
We conducted semi-structured interviews of stroke unit nursing staff. The interview guide focused on the stroke education process, barriers and facilitators to implementation of stroke education, and needed changes. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using emergent and a priori coding categories.
Results:
Twenty bedside nurses were interviewed. Administration of stroke education involved an initial learning assessment, provision of written material obtained through the electronic health record, and one-on-one counseling. Barriers included language discordance, time, lack of continuity or reinforcement, and lack of collaboration among the health care team. Needed changes included the need for a clinical patient educator to support bedside nursing staff.
Conclusions:
Education is important and it can increase stroke knowledge and prevent readmission to the hospital. Barriers to inpatient stroke education should be addressed to help patients and caregivers transition out of hospital. Nursing staff desires to provide more education and services to patients, especially once they have transitioned to the outpatient setting.