Objective The study aims to determine the effects of implementing stroke unit (SU) care in a remote hospital in North-East India. Materials and Methods This before-and-after implementation study was performed at the Baptist Christian Mission Hospital, Tezpur, Assam between January 2015 and December 2017. Before the implementation of stroke unit care (pre-SU), we collected information on usual stroke care and 1-month outcome of 125 consecutive stroke admissions. Staff was then trained in the delivery of SU care for 1 month, and the same information was collected in a second (post-SU) cohort of 125 patients. Statistical Analysis Chi-square and Mann–Whitney U test were used to compare group differences. The loss to follow-up was imputed by using multiple imputations using the Markov Chain Monto Carlo method. The sensitivity analysis was also performed by using propensity score matching of the groups for baseline stroke severity (National Institute of Health Stroke Scale) using the nearest neighbor approach to control for confounding, and missing values were imputed by using multiple imputations. The adjusted odds ratio was calculated in univariate and multivariate regression analysis after adjusting for baseline variables. All the analysis was done by using SPSS, version 21.0., IBM Corp and R version 4.0.0., Armonk, New York, United States. Results The pre-SU and post-SU groups were age and gender matched. The post-SU group showed higher rates of swallow assessment (36.8 vs. 0%, p < 0.001), mobility assessment, and re-education (100 vs. 91.5%, p = 0.037). The post-SU group also showed reduced complications (28 vs. 45%, p = 0.006) and a shorter length of hospital stay (4 ± 2.16 vs. 5 ± 2.68 days, p = 0.026). The functional outcome (modified ranking scale) at 1-month showed no difference between the groups, good outcome in post-SU (39.6%) versus pre-SU (35.7%), p = 0.552. Conclusion The implementation of this physician-based SU care model in a remote hospital in India shows improvements in quality measures, complications, and possibly patient outcomes.
Background: The greatest mortality and disability from stroke occurs in low- and middle-income countries. A significant barrier to implementation of best stroke care practices in these settings is limited availability of specialized healthcare training. We conducted a systematic review to determine the most effective methods for the provision of speciality stroke care education for hospital-based healthcare professionals in low-resource settings. Methods: We followed the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews and searched PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus for original clinical research articles that described or evaluated stroke care education for hospital-based healthcare professionals in low-resource settings. Two reviewers screened titles/abstracts and then full text articles. Three reviewers critically appraised the articles selected for inclusion. Results: A total of 1,182 articles were identified and eight were eligible for inclusion in this review; three were randomized controlled trials, four were non-randomized studies, and one was a descriptive study. Most studies used several approaches to education. A “train-the-trainer” approach to education was found to have the most positive clinical outcomes (lower overall complications, lengths of stay in hospital, and clinical vascular events). When used for quality improvement, the “train-the-trainer” approach increased patient reception of eligible performance measures. When technology was used to provide stroke education there was an increased frequency in diagnosis of stroke and use of antithrombotic treatment, reduced door-to-needle times, and increased support for decision making in medication prescription was reported. Task-sharing workshops for non-neurologists improved knowledge of stroke and patient care. Multidimensional education demonstrated an overall care quality improvement and increased prescriptions for evidence-based therapies although there were no significant differences in secondary prevention efforts, stroke reoccurrence, or mortality rates. Discussion: The “train the trainer” approach is likely the most effective strategy for specialist stroke education, while technology is also useful if resources are available to support its development and use. If resources are limited, basic knowledge education should be considered at a minimum, and multidimensional training may not be as beneficial. Communities of practice, led by those in similar settings, may be helpful to develop educational initiatives with relevance to local contexts.
Background: Cognitive deficit is one of the common impairments that occur post stroke and have a major effect on the quality of life of stroke survivors. However, the intervention and outcome measures used to remediate post-stroke cognitive impairments are diverse and highly heterogeneous. Therefore, a review of intervention and outcome measures for post-stroke cognitive impairments was carried out. Objectives: To review all available information on the recent advancements in intervention and outcome measures for post-stroke cognitive impairments. Methods: An electronic database search was conducted in PubMed, Medline, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library with key search terms between 2001 and 2021. The search results were systematically screened, and data was independently extracted by three reviewers. The data was thematically analyzed and narratively synthesized. Results: The search retrieved 2018 records, and we included 12 studies that met the inclusion criteria. Most of the studies targeted global cognitive deficits in ischemic stroke patients in the chronic phase. We categorized data based on the type of cognitive impairment, cognitive- domain targeted, intervention, and available outcome measures for post-stroke cognitive rehabilitation. Attention, memory, executive function, and global cognition were the common cognitive components targeted, managed, and assessed using an outcome measure. We found that technology is replacing conventional approaches to improve cognitive impairment. Conclusion: Regardless of many new developments in post-stroke cognitive rehabilitation interventions driven by technology, there is limited data available on actual implementation as a scalable solution. There is an extensive need for future research for evidence-based assessment and management of cognitive impairments in post-stroke rehabilitation.
Background The greatest mortality and disability from stroke occurs in low- and middle-income countries. A significant barrier to implementation of best stroke care practices in these settings is limited availability of specialized healthcare training. We conducted a systematic review to determine the most effective methods for the provision of speciality stroke care education for hospital-based healthcare professionals in low-resource settings. Methods We followed the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews and searched PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus for original clinical research articles that described or evaluated stroke care education for hospital-based healthcare professionals in low-resource settings. Two reviewers screened titles/abstracts and then full text articles. Three reviewers critically appraised the articles selected for inclusion. Results A total of 1,182 articles were identified and eight were eligible for inclusion in this review; three were randomized controlled trials, four were non-randomized studies, and one was a descriptive study. Most studies used several approaches to education. A “train-the-trainer” approach to education was found to have the most positive clinical outcomes (lower overall complications, lengths of stay in hospital, and clinical vascular events). When used for quality improvement, the “train-the-trainer” approach increased patient reception of eligible performance measures. When technology was used to provide stroke education there was an increased frequency in diagnosis of stroke and use of antithrombotic treatment, reduced door-to-needle times, and increased support for decision making in medication prescription was reported. Task-shifting workshops for non-neurologists improved knowledge of stroke and patient care. Multidimensional education demonstrated an overall care quality improvement and increased prescriptions for evidence-based therapies, although, there were no significant differences in secondary prevention efforts, stroke reoccurrence or mortality rates. Conclusions The “train the trainer” approach is likely the most effective strategy for specialist stroke education, while technology is also useful if resources are available to support its development and use. If resources are limited, basic knowledge education should be considered at a minimum and multidimensional training may not be as beneficial. Research into communities of practice, led by those in similar settings, may be helpful to develop educational initiatives with relevance to local contexts.
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