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Volume 28, Issue 4, 2007, Focus on Stroke
Stroke best practice recommendations: Hypertension and dysphagia
Elevated blood pressure is a powerful risk factor for primary and recurrent strokes. Hypertension is estimated to account for about 60% of the population’s attributable risk for cerebrovascular disease.
The National Stroke Nursing Council
The National Stroke Nursing Council (NSNC) was established in 2005 with the support of the Canadian Stroke Network to promote leadership, communication, advocacy, education and nursing research in the field of stroke.
The National Stroke Nursing Council: A nursing call for action
Rhonda Hardy-Joel, MScN, ACNP-BC, ANP-BC, and Teri Green, RN, PhD
Abstract
Nursing is fundamental to the care of stroke patients. From the acute setting all the way to rehabilitation and community reintegration, nursing is there. Having well-educated and highly-skilled nurses to monitor andn ncare for stroke patients is crucial. Equally important is the collaboration of colleagues at a national level to facilitate and disseminate research and best practice guidelines across Canada. The National Stroke Nursing Council aims to fill this role
Stroke nurses from across Canada were invited to a national forum in 2005, hosted by the Canadian Stroke Network. The focus of this forum was to elucidate issues of concern to nurses across the stroke care continuum in relation to a Canadian Stroke Strategy. Subsequent to this forum, a cadre of nurses, after undergoing a rigorous screening process, were selected to form the inaugural National Stroke Nursing Council (NSNC). With ongoing support from the Canadian Stroke Network, the mandate of the NSNC is to promote leadership, communication, advocacy, education and nursing research in the field of stroke.
Neurological assessment of the stroke patient: The Canadian Neurological Scale
Michelle MacKay, RN, MN, NP, Karen Legg, RN, MN, NP, and Shannon Nearing, RN, MN, NP
Abstract
Nurses in all practice settings should recognize the signs and symptoms of stroke as a medical emergency to expedite access to stroke care, as “time is brain” (Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario (HSFO), 2005).
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The World Federation of Neuroscience Nurses
http://www.wfnn.nu/
Canadian Stroke Network
http://www.canadianstrokenetwork.ca/
ThinkFirst
http://www.thinkfirst.ca/
Canadian Alliance of Brain Tumour Organizations
http://www.cabto.ca/