Introduction
INTRODUCTION
All nursing students should have the experience of being in contact with people who have had a stroke, and at present this does not always happen. Stroke survivors require enhanced knowledge. Improving stroke mortality and morbidity is the responsibility of all of us involved in nursing education. Student nurses qualifying in the next few decades will need to have a variety of skills and competencies in order to adequately address the increasing population at risk for stroke (Mason-Whitehead, Rigwa, & Barton, 2013). For this purpose, this Web Quest will introduce a group of adult nursing students to Cerebral Vascular Accident (CVA) or more commonly called Stroke.
According to Meschia & Barrett (2013) cerebral vascular accident (CVA) or stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States. There are two types of stroke: ischemic and hemorrhagic. The ischemic stroke is caused by blocked blood vessel from thrombosis (blood clot), embolism (air bubble), or hemorrhage (bleed). The blockage causes decreased blood flow to the brain tissue. The brain tissue lacks oxygen or glucose supply from the blood which causes injury to the brain tissue. Hemorrhagic stroke causes a rupture of the blood vessels in the brain. This causes bleeding into brain tissue. Bleeding in the brain tissue causes compression of the brain tissue. Nearly 795,000 people suffer a stroke each year leading to over 137,000 deaths (Bowen, 2016).
Task
http://calle-design.de/29/10-facial-droop-stroke
www.milkaclarkestrokefoundation.org
TASK
What would you do if your father or one of your patients looked like the gentleman in the photo?
Look up the following web pages to help you learn the types of strokes, the signs and symptoms of stroke, and the best methods of preventing a stroke, along with risk factors (both modifiable and non-modifiable) for stroke. You may want to take notes, as there is a short quiz following your search.
AHA/ASA Guidelines for Prevention of Stroke in Patients With Ischemic Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack@http://stroke.ahajournals.org/content/37/2/577.full
MedicineNet Stroke Prevention@http://www.medicinenet.com/stroke_prevention/article.htm
WebMD Stroke Prevention Guidelines and Healthy Lifestyle@http://www.webmd.com/stroke/news/20141029/stroke-prevention-guidelines-emphasize-healthy-lifestyle
National Stroke Association@http://www.stroke.org/
Process
PROCESS
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU ENCOUNTER A PATIENT HAVING THESE SYMPTOMS?
The following information will discuss the noticeable signs and symptoms of a stroke and the response necessary if you encounter an individual experiencing any of the BE FAST symptoms. Please watch the Youtube presentation at the end of the paragraph to learn more about stroke.
Stroke sysmptoms occur suddenly and the implementation of rapid response will largely determine the individual's outcome. The general presenting symptoms of a stroke include sudden weakness, numbness, unilateral or general loss of vision, loss of ability to communicate or understand. The severity of stroke symptoms are largely determined by the size of the area of brain affected (Howard et al., 2015). How FAST you respond to the signs of a stroke can determine a patient's ourcome. The stroke mnemonic BE FAST (which stands for (Balance, Eyes, Face, Arms, Speech, Time), highlights the most obvious signs that a person could be having a stroke, which include loss of balance, vision changes, facial weakness, arm weakness, and speech disturbance, as well as the time to call emergency medical services (EMS) (Dombrowski et al., 2015, p. 324). The following web link shows a short presentation of the risk factors, signs and symptoms and recommended responses to an individual possibly having a stroke. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kr4syeWvaI8.
The following is a list of questions you should be able to answer after completing your web search and viewing the short Youtube presentation.
Stroke Quiz
1. Name two types of stroke.
2. All of the following are modifiable risk factors for stroke, except:
A. Hypertension
B. Age
C. Diabetes
D. High Cholesterol
3. What does the acronym FAST stand for?
A. F______
B. A______
C. S______
D. T______
4. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain is blocked, leaks, or bursts.
A. True
B. False
5. Stroke is the ___________ leading cause of death in the United States.
A. Second
B. Fourth
C. Tenth
D. Third
6. _____________is the leading cause of stroke.
7. The following are non-modifiable risk factors for stroke, except:
A. Age
B. Family history of stroke
C. Smoking
D. Race
E. Gender
F. Obesity
8. The first line of treatment for stroke is:
A. Blood Thinners
B. Antibiotics
C. NSAID's
D. Insulin
9. Men are more likely to die from stroke than women.
A. True
B. False
10. Damage caused by a stroke is reversible with rehabilitation.
A. True
B. False
For your final assignment you will write a paragraph describing what you have learned about strokes through this Web Quest (worth 20 Points).
Evaluation
EVALUATION
After completing the quiz, you will be graded by one of your peers. The quiz is worth 100 points; 8 points for each of the 10 questions, and 20 points for the essay.
Answers to Stroke Quiz:
1. Ischemic and Hemorrhagic
2. B-Age
3. Fast, Arm, Speech, Time
4. A-True
5. D-Third
6. Hypertension
7. C-Smoking, F-Obesity
8. A-Blood Thinners
9. False
10.False
Your discussions will vary.
Conclusion
CONCLUSION
Nurses need the knowledge and critical thinking skills necessary to identify and provide care to patients who experience cerebral vascular accidents or stroke. Adults of all ages are at risk for a stroke. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States.REMEMBER!!!A stroke is the result of an interruption of the bloodflow to the brain causing a part of the brain to stop working. The result can fatal or a barely perceived loss of sensation on one side of the body. It is hard for the lay-man to understand what a stroke is (or is not) as there are many variables. It is also often hard for doctors and nurses to make the correct diagnosis, as many illnesses mimic a stroke. Stroke is also more likely to affect people if they are overweight, aged 55 or older, have a personal or family history of stroke, do not exercise much, drink heavily, smoke or use illicit drugs (Howard et al, 2016).
Credits
REFERENCES
Bowen, P. (2016). Early identification, rapid response, and effective treatment of acute
stroke: Utilizing teleneurology to ensure optimal clinical outcomes. MEDSURG
Nursing, 25(4), 241-243.
Brinsden, H. C., & Farrand, C. E. (2012). Reducing salt; preventing stroke. Nutrition Bulletin, 37(1), 57-63. doi:10.1111/j.1467-
3010.2011.01947.x
Dombrowski, S. U., White, M., Mackintosh, J. E., Gellert, P., Araujo-Soares, V., Thomson, R.
G., & ... Sniehotta, F. F. (2015). The stroke ' Act FAST' campaign: Remembered but not
understood?. International Journal of Stroke, 10(3), 324-330. doi:10.1111/ijs.12353
Howard, V. J., Safford, M. M., Allen, S., Judd, S. E., Rhodes, J. D., Kleindorfer, D. O., & ...
Howard, G. (2016). Stroke symptoms as a predictor of future hospitalization. Journal of
Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, 25702-709. doi:10/1016/jstrokecerebrovasdis.
2015.11.040
Mason-Whitehead, E., Ridgway, V., & Barton, J. (2013). Passed without a stroke: A UK mixed
method study exploring student nurses' knowledge of stroke. Nurse Education Today,
33998-1002. doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2012.07.021
Meschia, J. F., & Barrett, K. M. (2013). Stroke. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell.
YouTube (2014). Stanford Stroke Awareness Month: BE FAST. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kr4syeWvaI8.
Teacher Page
TEACHER'S PAGE
As one of the major killers of adults, strokes are REAL. It was my intention with this Web Quest to prepare student nurses for their role in educating their patients to the causes, preventions, and treatments of strokes, and to better be prepared to provide care to those patients that have experienced a Cerebral Vascular Accident or Stroke.
