The evidence-base for stroke education in care homes.
OBJECTIVE
1. What are registered care home nurses' educational priorities regarding stroke care? 2. What are senior care home assistants' educational priorities regarding stroke care? 3. How do care home nurses conceive stroke care will be delivered in 2010?


METHODS
This was a 2-year study using focus groups, stroke guidelines, professional recommendations and stroke literature for the development of a questionnaire survey for data collection. Workshops provided study feedback to participants. Data were collected in 2005-2006.


METHODS
Greater Glasgow NHS Health Board.


METHODS
A stratified random selection of 16 private, 3 voluntary and 6 NHS continuing care homes from which a sample of 115 trained nurses and 19 senior care assistants was drawn.


RESULTS
The overall response rate for care home nurses was 64.3% and for senior care assistants, 73.6%. Both care home nurses and senior care assistants preferred accredited stroke education. Care home nurses wanted more training in stroke assessment, rehabilitation and acute interventions whereas senior care assistants wanted more in managing depression, general stroke information and communicating with dysphasic residents. Senior care assistants needed more information on multidisciplinary team working while care home nurses were more concerned with ethical decision-making, accountability and goal setting.


CONCLUSIONS
Care home staff need and want more stroke training. They are clear that stroke education should be to the benefit of their resident population. Guidelines on stroke care should be developed for care homes and these should incorporate support for continuing professional learning in relation to the resident who has had a stroke.
Smith
Lorraine N
LN
Faculty of Medicine, University of Glasgow, 59 Oakfield Avenue, Glasgow, G12 8LW, UK. l.n.smith@clinmed.gla.ac.uk
Craig
Louise E
LE
Weir
Christopher J
CJ
McAlpine
Christine H
CH
D000068:Accreditation; D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D055318:Evidence-Based Nursing; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D005851:Geriatric Nursing / Q000193:education; D006801:Humans; D008008:Licensure, Nursing; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009728:Nursing Assistants / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D009735:Nursing Homes; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D019145:Rehabilitation Nursing / Q000193:education; D012606:Scotland; D020521:Stroke / Q000451:nursing*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires