COVID-19 Is a Catalyst for Future Changes in Stroke Nursing Care.

Area of Science:

• Nursing interventions
• Healthcare delivery during pandemics
• Stroke care management

Background:

• Hospitals must maintain regulatory compliance and patient care standards during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Certified stroke programs face challenges in delivering essential patient education due to visitor restrictions.
• High-quality post-stroke education is crucial for improving patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a practical solution for certified stroke programs to meet educational requirements during the pandemic.
• To share successful institutional strategies for delivering post-stroke education remotely.
• To address the challenge of bedside education limitations caused by "shelter-in-place" orders.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing telehealth nursing to conduct remote stroke education sessions.
• Engaging family members via phone calls to deliver educational content.
• Documenting telehealth interactions and patient education details in medical records.

Main Results:

• Family members demonstrated high engagement during phone-based stroke education, actively participating and taking notes.
• Utilizing speakerphone allowed multiple family members to participate in education sessions simultaneously.
• Telehealth nursing, despite challenges, proved to be a reasonable and effective solution for continuing patient education.

Conclusions:

• Sharing innovative nursing interventions can help maintain essential patient education during public health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Remote education strategies ensure that patients and their families receive vital information for post-stroke recovery.
• Adapting nursing practices through telehealth is key to upholding compassionate and effective patient care during unprecedented times.