Neurological assessment of the hemiplegic patient

There are more and more situations where nursing is responsible for ongoing assessment of the functioning of the hemiplegic patient who has been discharged from an acute care setting. The goal of the neurological assessment in the primary care setting is to determine the ability of the hemiplegic patient to perform activities of daily living. The objectives of this paper are to: 1) suggest a guideline for neurological examination of the hemiplegic patient in seven functional areas. The purpose is not to describe the total neurological examination, but rather to focus on the examination of pertinent neurological areas that provide data about the functioning of the patient; 2) outline potential problems derived from pertinent neurological findings in these seven areas; 3) discuss general implications these problems have for the nurse to assist the hemiplegic patient and his family, optimizing his potential. No attempt will be made to discuss details of nursing intervention.