Explore strategies to enhance nurses' effectiveness in managing patients with stroke in acute and early post-acute care settings

Abstract

Stroke is still an important global health problem and among the most prominent causes of disabilities and death. During the acute and early post-acute care phase for stroke, the nurse stands at the front lines of assessment, intervention, monitoring, and education and hence is pivotal in the recovery process. The purpose of this thesis is to synthesise evidence-based practices in nursing that enhance nurses' clinical competence in managing stroke patients in acute care settings. The aim is to improve nurses' clinical competence and decision-making in stroke management. The researcher used the method of a systemat-ic literature review to synthesise existing evidence and best practices that enhance the effectiveness of nursing in acute care for strokes. A rigorous review process involved developing research questions, searching databases, screening according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, quality assessment, and conducting an inductive qualitative analysis of twenty peer-reviewed papers. The findings were grouped into major themes: early assessment and timely intervention, protocol-based care bundles, competency training, interprofessional collaboration, managing complications, clinical monitoring, and quality im-provement. The themes indicate that nurse-driven, protocol-based practices lead to fewer treatment de-lays, enhanced complication control, and better functional outcomes in stroke patients. Ethics were upheld throughout the review through integrity in the included studies' analysis, selection, and synthesis. In addi-tion, the thesis highlights the need for ongoing professional development and nurse leadership education in support of the progressive needs in stroke care. Although the review demonstrated excellent evidence for nursing interventions, the significant gap in the literature is the determination of the long-term impact of the interventions and the degree of their feasibility in multiple and disparate healthcare settings. This thesis concluded that improving the effectiveness of nurses through targeted interventions can improve the quality and timely delivery of stroke care in acute care settings. Subsequent studies should aim at implementation strategies, assessment of educational models, and equity in providing stroke care re-sources. In filling these gaps and augmenting the nursing workforce with evidence-based methods, healthcare systems can improve stroke care quality, timely delivery, and outcomes in acute care settings.