A s is so often the case, research projects are born out of nurses asking "why" questions about their practice. This project was no different and is best illustrated with this patient story.Max, in his early 60s, was an un-kept, homeless man admitted to the hospital with a large myocardial infarction for a nearly five-week stay. His size (six foot, 4 inches, 420-pound frame) and illness had a strong effect on the staff's ability to provide care. He did not fit in the bed, and the pressure on his legs and heels, as well as the presence of 3+ pitting edema, led to sloughing of his skin. The insertion site from the coronary angiogram and intraaortic balloon pump procedures done on admission had not healed due to the presence of a body rash from the use of multi-. Prevention of incontinence-related skin breakdown for acute and critical care patients: Comparison of two products. Urologic Nursing, 32(3).Perineal protection products were compared for their efficacy in preventing skin breakdown in the hospitalized patient with urinary and/or fecal incontinence. Each product was used for the duration of the hospital stay with daily observations for perineal skin condition. Results indicated the spray product and wipe product were comparable in rate of skin breakdown prevention. Findings suggest the wipe product is more cost-effective for use during hospitalization, and the spray product preserves skin integrity over a longer period of time, beyond average hospitalization duration.Key Words: Urinary/fecal incontinence, dermatitis, skin care/nursing, cost-benefit analysis, dermatologic agents/therapeutic use.

BACKGROUND: The incidence rate of stroke in hospitalized patients ranges between 2% and 17% of all strokes—a higher rate than in the community. Delays in recognition and management of stroke in hospitalized patients lead to worse outcomes. At our hospital, the existing in-hospital stroke (IHS) code showed low usage and effectiveness. In a quality improvement (QI) project, we aimed to improve the identification of and the quality of care for inpatient strokes. METHODS: A nurse-driven IHS protocol was implemented, which alerted a specialized stroke team and cleared the computed tomography (CT) scanner. The protocol focused on prioritizing staff education, simplifying the process, empowering staff to activate an IHS code, ensuring adequate support and teamwork, identifying well-defined quality metrics (eg, time to CT and documentation tool use), and providing feedback communication. We analyzed 2 years of postimplementation IHS data for impact on stroke detection and outcomes. RESULTS: In the 2 years post QI, there was a more than 10-fold increase in IHS (pre-QI, n = 8; first year post QI, n = 94; second year post QI, n = 123). In the post-QI cohort, after excluding patients with missing information (n = 26), 69 cases had new stroke diagnoses (63 ischemic, 6 hemorrhagic), and 148 were stroke mimics. The mean (SD) time from IHS to CT was 18.7 (7.0) minutes. Of the 63 new ischemic stroke cases, 25 (39.7%) were treated with thrombolytic therapy and/or mechanical thrombectomy. CONCLUSION: The new IHS protocol has led to a marked increase in cases identified, rapid evaluation, and high utilization rate of acute stroke therapies.

When choosing interventions for the individual experiencing fatigue, be aware of demographic data and use assessment techniques to promote positive health practices.

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Background Prior studies have indicated high rates of vascular risk factors, but little is known about stroke in Hmong. Methods and Results The institutional Get With The Guidelines (GWTG) database was used to identify patients discharged with acute ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, or subarachnoid hemorrhage between 2010 and 2019. Hmong patients were identified using clan names and primary language. Univariate analysis was used to compare Hmong and White patients. A subarachnoid hemorrhage comparison was not conducted because of the small sample size. We identified 128 Hmong patients and 3084 White patients. Hmong patients had more prevalent hemorrhagic stroke (31% versus 15%; P <0.0016). In the acute ischemic stroke cohort, compared with White patients, Hmong patients were younger (60±13 versus 71±15 years; P <0.0001), presented to the emergency department almost 4 hours later; and had a lower thrombolysis usage rate (6% versus 14%; P =0.03496), worse lipid profile, higher hemoglobin A 1C , similar stroke severity, and less frequent discharge to rehabilitation facilities. The most common ischemic stroke mechanism for Hmong patients was small‐vessel disease. In the intracerebral hemorrhage cohort, Hmong patients were younger (55±13 versus 70±15 years; P <0.0001), had higher blood pressure, and had a lower rate of independent ambulation on discharge (9% versus 30%; P =0.0041). Conclusions Hmong patients with stroke were younger and had poorer risk factor control compared with White patients. There was a significant delay in emergency department arrival and low use of acute therapies among the Hmong acute ischemic stroke cohort. Larger studies are needed to confirm these observations, but action is urgently needed to close gaps in primary care and stroke health literacy.

Introduction: Reducing readmission rate is a healthcare priority. The aim of this project is to examine factors associated with readmission after stroke in a privately insured cohort. Methods: Our organization is a health insurance provider as well as a healthcare provider. We retrospectively identified members of our insurance plan who discharged from one of our family of hospitals (one comprehensive stroke center, one primary stroke center, and two stroke ready hospitals) 2014-2018 with a stroke diagnosis. Using insurance claims, we captured all readmissions and ER visits in the 30 days after discharge. Using the same data, we were also able to identify primary care visits in the year preceding and the month following the index stroke. The impact of primary care was examined in a univariate analysis and a multivariate analysis adjusting for age, sex, race, stroke type, and length of stay (LOS). Results: We identified 1177 patients after excluding those who were not members of our insurance plan and those who had a planned admission such as to inpatient rehab (mean age 71±15 years; 53% women; 17% non-white). Stroke types were 72% ischemic stroke; 12% TIA; 7% ICH; 4% SAH. Most common discharge destination was home 68% followed by skilled nursing facility 27%. Overall 30-day all-cause readmission rate was 31% (21% inpatient admission, 8% ER visit, and 2% both). In an unadjusted model, there was a significant association between number of primary care visits and probability of readmission (OR 0.60 [95% CI 0.50-0.72]; p<0.0001). This association remained significant in the multivariate analysis (OR 0.73 [95% CI 0.58-0.91]; p=0.005). Other variables independently associated with readmission include age, LOS, and ischemic type of stroke. There was no association between readmission and sex or race and no interaction between primary care and sex nor between primary care and race. Conclusion: Established primary care is protective from stroke readmission. In high risk patients (older age with ischemic stroke and prolonged length of stay), efforts should be made to arrange for primary care sooner than later.

Introduction: Hmong people are originally from the mountainous areas of Southeastern China, Northern Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Large numbers have migrated to the USA. In response to a request from leaders of the Hmong community and given the lack of literature, this study was conducted to describe ischemic stroke in the Hmong patients at our comprehensive stroke center. Methods: Institutional GWTG database and charts for years 2010-2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Hmong patients were identified by their last names (18 clans) provided by the Hmong community leaders. Different demographic, social, and clinical aspects were reported and compared to white patients in a univariate analysis. Results: Forty-one Hmong and 1510 White were included in the analysis. Compared to Whites, Hmong patients were significantly younger (60±2.16 vs. 70±0.39 years # ), predominantly women (66% vs. 48%; p=0.03), less frequently covered by medical insurance (68% vs. 87% # ) and less frequently brought by ambulance (44% vs. 54% # ). Onset-to-door time, door-to-needle time, NIHSS at admission, and incidence of vascular risk factors was similar between the two groups; however, Hmong patients seemed to have poorly controlled risk factors with mean A1C 11±0.9% in diabetics (n=13) and mean LDL 116±6.4 mg/dL in hyperlipidemics (n=16). The most common stroke mechanisms were small vessel (31%) and intracranial atherosclerotic diseases (27%). Based on imaging in Hmong patients; 56% had intracranial arterial calcification, 53% had microaniopathic disease, 46% had intracranial stenosis, and 18% extracranial stenosis. On echocardiogram, 68% of Hmong had left ventricular hypertrophy, 54% had dilated left atrium, one patient had hypokinesis, and none had low ejection fraction. The length of stay and the rate of independent ambulation on discharge were not different between Hmong and Whites, however, a larger proportion of Hmong were discharged home (59% vs. 46%; p=0.05). # p≤0.0005 Conclusion: In this study population, Hmong patients suffered from poorly controlled risk factors, had high incidence of small vessel and intracranial atherosclerotic disease, low incidence of carotid disease and heart failure and utilized fewer resources than Whites.

Background and Purpose: Literature suggests that recognition and management of stroke of hospitalized patients is difficult, and the morbidity and mortality rates of in-patient strokes exceed those of out of hospital stroke. Timely treatment is an important factor for a favorable prognosis for hospitalized patients suspected of having a stroke. A new protocol for in-patient stroke was implemented as a quality improvement project at our comprehensive stroke center starting January 2017. Methods: The new protocol included focused nursing education, replacement of 2-step activation process with 1-step process whereby the bedside nurse activates ‘Code Stroke’ using same criteria as used by EMS and ED triage nurses. Code Stroke activates a specialized stroke team (neurologist, ICU physicians, ICU nurses, pharmacy) and clears the CT scanner. Accurate documentation was encouraged and template notes were provided. Expectations were put forth regarding the relevant quality metrics. Feedback was provided in real-time as well as in writing, to participating care team. This analysis was done utilizing data from a prospectively maintained database of inpatient stroke, feedback communications, and chart review. The following metrics were used to examine the performance of the new process: rate of stroke symptoms identification, errors in paging, errors in documentation, time to CT, and outcome of code activation. Results: In the 6 months prior to the new protocol, a ‘Code Stroke’ was activated 5 times, only one was a true stroke and was treated with thrombectomy. In the 6 months after the new protocol, ‘Code Stroke’ was activated 46 times, with 15 confirmed strokes (14 ischemic, 1 hemorrhagic). A change in care occurred for 13 patients, including IV alteplase (n=2), thrombectomy (n=1), change in medical management (n=9), and decompressive hemicraniectomy (n=1). Mean time for Code Stroke to CT was 26 minutes despite errors in pages (wrong call back number, incorrect code designation). Conclusion: Our new process increases detection and treatment of in-patient strokes. Elements of success include system-wide organization, simplifying the process, mirroring ED process, and availability of stroke response team.