Transition experiences of patients with post stroke dysphagia and family caregivers: A longitudinal, qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Stroke patients with dysphagia and family caregivers will experience multiple transitions during the whole process of the disease and various nursing needs will be generated. There is a lack of knowledge about their experiences at different transition stages. Thus, we aimed to explore the transition experiences of patients with post stroke dysphagia and family caregivers from admission to discharge home. METHODS: A semi-structured interview based on Meleis's transition theory was used during hospitalization and telephone follow-up interviews were conducted in the first, third, and sixth month after the diagnosis of dysphagia. Interview transcripts were analyzed using the conventional content analysis method. RESULTS: A total of 17 participants enrolled in the first face-to-face interview, 16 participants took part in the first month's telephone follow-up interview, 14 participants in the third month, and 12 participants in the sixth month. The transition experiences of patients with post stroke dysphagia and family caregivers could be summarized into three themes: (1)transition from onset to admission; (2)transition from discharge to other rehabilitation institutions; and (3)transition from discharge to home. Each theme had identified interrelated subthemes. CONCLUSIONS: The experiences of patients with post stroke dysphagia and family caregivers during transition are a dynamic process with enormous challenges in each phase. Collaboration with health care professionals, follow-up support after discharge, and available community and social support should be integrated into transitional nursing to help patients facilitate their transition.

Evidence summary on nutrition management for post-stroke dysphagia.

OBJECTIVE: To summarize and evaluate the relevant evidence on nutrition management of post-stroke dysphagia (PSD) to provide evidence-based basis for clinical staff. METHODS: We searched evidence in BMJ Best Practice, Up To Date, Cochrane Library, PubMed and so on from their inception to May 31, 2021. The quality assessment was conducted by two researchers by using AGREE II for guidelines, JBI evidence-based health care center evaluate standards for systematic review and expert consensus. RESULTS: An initial searching of 445 literatures resulted in 26 literatures that met inclusion criteria. Finally, a total of 38 pieces of evidence were summarized from 5 aspects including nutrition risk screening and assessment, nutrition support principles, enteral nutrition, parenteral nutrition, and hydration management. CONCLUSIONS: This study summarized the evidence of the nutrition management for PSD patients. Since evidences are from different countries, it's better to assess the clinical environment and other related factors before their application.

Clinical assessment and screening of stroke patients with aphasia: a best practice implementation project.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: As a critical form of stroke damage, aphasia negatively impacts stroke patients' return to society. Speech and language intervention has been found to assist in optimizing poststroke aphasia patient outcomes; consequently, early identification and diagnosis are vital for poststroke aphasia to ensure that patients receive the rehabilitation they require. This project aimed to promote evidence-based practice (EBP) in the assessment and screening of stroke patients with aphasia and to improve the clinical outcomes of patients who suffer from poststroke aphasia in a large tertiary hospital. METHODS: The current evidence implementation project was conducted in the neurology and rehabilitation departments of a tertiary hospital in China. Six audit criteria were developed for the baseline and follow-up audits. The project used the JBI PACES software, as well as JBI's Getting Research into Practice audit and feedback tool, to foster evidence-based healthcare in practice. RESULTS: Although the performance of all evidence-based criteria during the baseline audit was poor, barriers were identified through baseline, and the project team carried out and implemented developed strategies following Getting Research into Practice resources. All the criteria improved from baseline after the follow-up cycle, with four out of six criteria achieving a compliance rate of 100%, and two evidence-based criteria recorded at 73 and 80% compliance, respectively. CONCLUSION: The current project successfully increased EBP for the assessment and screening of stroke patients with aphasia. Further studies are needed to ensure the project's long-term sustainability.

Prevention of deep venous thrombosis in stroke: a best practice implementation project.

OBJECTIVES: The current evidence implementation project aims to promote evidence-based practice in the care of patients with stroke, specifically around the prevention of deep venous thrombosis (DVT), in the neurology department of a tertiary hospital in Guangzhou, China. INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of DVT within 14 days after stroke is 10-75%. Approximately 20% of patients with DVT develop pulmonary embolism, the third most common cause of death in patients with stroke and the most common cause of autopsy-verified death between the second and fourth week after stroke. Several risk factors are associated with the development of DVT, many of which can be alleviated by evidence-based strategies that can prevent or reduce the risk of DVT. METHODS: The current evidence implementation project utilized the Joanna Briggs Institute Practical Application of Clinical Evidence System program and involved 30 patients in each audit criterion. Interventions included staff education, involvement of rehabilitation staff, and building a patient education bundle. A postimplementation reaudit was undertaken including the same number of patient samples. RESULTS: The baseline audit results showed that the compliances for two audit criteria (patient mobilization and patient education) were under 20%, whereas those for the other criteria were at least 60%. After implementing the strategies, there were significant improvements especially in the two weak-compliance criteria. In addition, the overall compliance for most criteria increased. CONCLUSION: The project standardized the DVT prevention process in the Neurology Department of Nanfang Hospital. The overall compliance with DVT prevention for patients with stroke in the department improved.