Stroke Discharge Packet Guideline
STROKE DISCHARGE PACKET GUIDELINE:
The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA) and the Virginia Stroke Systems Task Force recommend that hospitals use a standardized discharge packet that educates stroke patients and families on secondary prevention and available resources. For more information click the link Subacute Stroke Treatment and Secondary Prevention
Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation is the primary form of treatment for patients recovering from stroke.
Up to 30% of stroke patients are permanently disabled and 20% require institutional care at 3 months after onset. For these patients, rehabilitation involves a combined and coordinated use of medical, social, educational, and vocational measures to help maximize their physical, psychological, social, vocational, and avocational potential.
Practice guidelines for rehabilitation are well established in this area, although patients often do not receive a level of care that is consistent with these guidelines.
The type of environment in which the stroke survivor receives rehabilitation services should be determined by the expected prognosis for recovery, availability of caregiver support, and probability of discharge into the community.
A systems approach is particularly important to promote the effectiveness of rehabilitation, especially given the importance of effective communication among providers, facilities, patients, and family members.
The Task Force makes the following recommendations in the context of the rehabilitation of stroke patients:
- A stroke system should ensure that all stroke patients receive a standardized screening evaluation during the Schwamm et al Recommendations for Stroke Systems of Care.
- A stroke system should periodically assess its level of available rehabilitation services and resources.
- Stroke patients should be referred to an inpatient facility, an outpatient facility, or a home care service that provides for their medical and functional needs.
- A stroke system should establish support systems to ensure that patients discharged from hospitals and other facilities to their homes have appropriate follow-up and primary care arranged on discharge.
Stroke Rehab Providers
Looking for survivor and family support? Share the online discussion board of American Stroke Association's "Stroke Connection Magazine" on Facebook with your patients and their families. Become a "fan" and check out the discussion tab. Click here
Department of Rehabilitative Services
Visit the Department of Rehabilitative Services website Click here This site is an excellent source for all types of information regarding rehabilitation and provides access to numerous brochures and publications.
A Helpful Website for Stroke Survivors Hosted by a Stroke Survivor
The strokesurvivor is a website hosted from the perspective of stroke survivor, Paul Berger (former VSSTF board member), and is stocked with information filtered with the insight of someone with first hand knowledge of the stroke experience. Highly recommended. Click here for strokesurvivor