Stroke mood screening on an inpatient stroke unit

Psychological problems, and post-stroke depression in particular, are common following stroke. This article describes the development and evaluation of a mood screening pathway on a hospital-based stroke unit. The pathway is evaluated against the criteria of the national stroke guidelines, particularly the National Stroke Sentinel Audit (Royal College of Physicians, 2008a). The outcome reveals that the Stroke Mood Screening pathway meets the target of assessing every patient in 88.9% of cases. This places the performance of this procedure within the top quarter of stroke units in the UK. The Stroke Mood Screening pathway enabled the rehabilitation team to identify mood disturbances very early following patients' admission to the unit. Good communication pathways between rehabilitation staff and easy referral routes to neuropsychology made rapid and efficient responses to emerging mood problems possible. The outcomes of this evaluation also give useful guidance for service improvements and consequently, could optimize the provision of psychological support for the patients on the unit.