Top Things to Know: Nursing’s Role in Psychosocial Health Management After a Stroke Event
Published: August 19, 2024
Prepared by Sonija Shrestha DNP, ACNP, FNP
- Psychosocial symptoms such as depression, stress, anxiety, and fatigue are common among stroke survivors, affecting a significant proportion of individuals.
- These symptoms have substantial impacts on various aspects of health and well-being, including cognitive function, activities of daily living, quality of life, and overall recovery.
- Psychosocial symptoms are often underdiagnosed in stroke survivors, leading to inadequate treatment and poorer outcomes.
- Diagnosing psychosocial symptoms post-stroke can be challenging due to overlapping symptoms, comorbidities, and the need for structured clinical interviews.
- Various screening tools are available for assessing psychosocial symptoms post-stroke, including the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) for depression and the Perceived Stress Scale for stress.
- Treatment options for psychosocial symptoms post-stroke include pharmacological, psychological, and complementary therapies, as well as lifestyle interventions and rehabilitation programs.
- Nurses play a crucial role in monitoring symptoms, educating patients and families, implementing interventions, and coordinating care across the continuum of stroke recovery.
- Structural inequities, including structural racism, contribute to disparities in psychosocial health outcomes post-stroke, highlighting the need for addressing social determinants of health and promoting health equity.
- Measuring quality of life post-stroke is challenging due to the subjective nature of assessment and the lack of stroke-specific measurement tools, but interventions such as mind-body therapies and social participation can positively impact QOL outcomes.
- Further research is needed to develop and validate stroke-specific screening tools, identify effective interventions for improving psychosocial health outcomes, and address disparities in stroke care, particularly among underserved populations.
Citation
Zrelak PA, Seagraves KB, Belagaje S, Dusenbury W, García JJ, Hadidi NN, Keigher KM, Love M, Pucciarelli G, Schorr E, Velasco C; on behalf of the American Heart Association Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing and Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health. Nursing’s role in psychosocial health management after astroke event: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Stroke. Published online August 19, 2024. doi: 10.1161/STR.0000000000000471