Targeted Nursing Interventions for Improving Stroke Care and Outcomes in the Rural Setting: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association
Published: October 30, 2025
- Rural-dwelling populations face higher stroke rates and worse outcomes due to limited access, geographic isolation, and higher rates of uncontrolled risk factors (e.g., hypertension, diabetes, obesity).
- Nurses in rural settings play a central role in stroke prevention, acute care, and rehabilitation, often serving as first responders, educators, coordinators, champions and care leaders.
- Rural hospitals face critical nursing shortages, high burnout, and recruitment challenges, which can decrease stroke care quality. Strategies like epidemiological modeling can help allocate resources and predict staffing needs.
Recommended Reading
- Guidelines for Adult Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery
- Identifying Best Practices for Improving the Evaluation and Management of Stroke in Rural Lower-Resourced Settings
- Ideal Foundational Requirements for Stroke Program Development and Growth
- Call to Action: Rural Health
- Care of the Patient With Acute Ischemic Stroke: Update to the 2009 Comprehensive Nursing Care Scientific Statement