Stroke education for healthcare professionals: making it fit for purpose.

Full Abstract

TITLE:
Stroke education for healthcare professionals:
Making it fit for purpose.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS:
1. What are healthcare professionals' (HCPs) educational priorities regarding stroke care? 2. Do stroke care priorities vary across the primary and secondary sectors? 3. How do HCPs conceive stroke care will be delivered in 2010?

STUDY DESIGN:
This was a two-year study using focus groups and interviews for instrument development, questionnaires for data collection and workshops to provide study feedback. Data were collected in 2005-06.

STUDY SITE:
One Scottish health board.

INCLUSION CRITERIA:
All National Health Service healthcare professionals working wherever stroke care occurred.

POPULATION AND SAMPLE:
Participants were drawn from 4 university teaching hospitals, 2 community hospitals, 1 geriatric medicine day hospital, 48 general practices (GPs), 12 care homes and 15 community teams. The sample comprised 155 doctors, 313 nurses, 133 therapists (physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists), and 29 'other HCPs' (14 dieticians, 7 pharmacists, 2 podiatrists and 6 psychologists).

RESULTS:
HCPs prefer face-to-face, accredited education but blended approaches are required that accommodate uni- and multidisciplinary demands. Doctors and nurses are more inclined towards discipline-specific training compared to therapists and other healthcare professionals (HCPs). HCPs in primary care and stroke units want more information on the social impact of stroke while those working in stroke units in particular are concerned with leadership in the multidisciplinary team. Nurses are the most interested in teaching patients and carers.

CONCLUSIONS:
Stroke requires more specialist stroke staff, the upskilling of current staff and a national education pathway given that stroke care is most effectively managed by specialists with specific clinical skills. The current government push towards a flexible workforce is welcome but should be educationally-sound and recognise the career aspirations of healthcare professionals.

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Author information

Author/s: Smith, Lorraine N (LN); Craig, Louise E (LE); Weir, Christopher J (CJ); McAlpine, Christine H (CH);

Affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Glasgow, 59 Oakfield Avenue, Glasgow G12 8LW, UK. l.n.smith@clinmed.gla.ac.uk

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Multicenter Study; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Nurse education today (Nurse Educ Today), published in Scotland. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Apr; vol 28 (issue 3) : pp 337-47

Dates: Created 2008/03/10; Completed 2008/06/03;

PMID: 17881095, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult
Allied Health Personnel
Education, Professional
Female
Focus Groups
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Humans
Interprofessional Relations

Interprofessional Relations
Male
Middle Aged
Needs Assessment
Nurses
Physicians
Scotland
Stroke - rehabilitation; therapy

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