For many years, stroke has been one of the most challenging conditions to prevent, treat, and manage. Modern medicine has not eliminated the disease, which is responsible for about 11% of all deaths in the world (Jamison et al., 2016). However, various improvements have been made in recent years towards effective prevention, treatment, and management. Many people with stroke can be treated and have a productive life. Although stroke can be fatal or disabling, the condition is preventable, especially with timely preventive and treatment interventions.
The research focused on strategies to prevent stroke after Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA). Care providers should emphasize on improving stroke prevention and care because it is better to prevent than to treat the disease. The study was critical in identifying some effective means to determine the risk of stroke and associated effects such as long-term disability. For example, Glebova et al. (2017) considered the role of DNA biomarkers of a stroke to understand the pathological processes in the brain of a person. Such efforts are focused on the need to create effective mechanisms to prevent the occurrence of a stroke that might cause death or disability.
Research evidence reveals the potential to prevent stroke if signs are recognized on time. However, the challenge is that most patients and family ignore critical signs, allowing the disease to strike and progress considerably before they implement an intervention. The activity revealed that patients who visit the GP or call 111 immediately following TIA have better chances to prevent a stroke and achieve enhanced management outcomes in the long term. Timely identification of various subgroups of stroke patients can help to overcome the disabling effects in the long run. Munyombwe et al. (2014) used mixture modeling to identify the subgroups for appropriate management to prevent stroke-related disability. The most crucial step is to characterize stroke disability using various disability metrics. Such measures are useful in designing interventions to overcome the adverse effects of stroke through timely treatment and management.
An essential step in the prevention and management of stroke is identifying the risk factors. Research shows that high blood pressure is a leading risk factor for stroke. Therefore, the most critical stage is to screen people for high blood pressure and control the condition to prevent stroke. Detection and timely treatment of high blood pressure is a practical move in stroke prevention. Another risk factor is atrial fibrillation, which can be detected and treated using blood-thinning drugs. The nurse plays a vital role in prevention and treatment efforts. Therefore, Aslani et al. (2016) established the need for the nurses’ empowerment in self-care education to support patients to prevent and manage stroke. Empowered nurses can work with patients to overcome the barriers to timely prevention, treatment, and management of stroke.
Centralizing hyperacute stroke has proven effective in the management of the condition. The effectiveness of the process emerges from the potential to begin treatment immediately following signs of or the occurrence of a stroke. For example, the treatment team can remove clots from the arteries within the brain that causes a stroke to improve treatment outcomes. However, research evidence suggests that the treatment should be done immediately after a stroke occur. Therefore, patients should be educated to be proactive in reporting any cases of disability or other symptoms of stroke for immediate intervention (Powell, Johnston, & Johnston, 2006). Self-reports are critical in improving care.
Besides effective intervention to prevent stroke, providers should focus on adequate care to aid recovery. Recovery, care, and support after stroke are essential concepts in research on effective stroke management. Research reveals the need for appropriate care and support post-hospitalization for stroke treatment. The management team should implement proper post-discharge management because stroke recovery continues for many years after the incidence. Care providers should integrate services, including hospital care, home-based (“community”) rehabilitation, and social services for a positive outcome.
Evidence-based practice includes effective collaboration between various care providers to support stroke patients through local health and social services. The study revealed a need for concerted efforts to conduct collaborative research and create effective interventions to prevent, treat, and manage stroke. Robinson et al. (2019) advocate for the investment in Health Research Clinical Research Networks to enhance investigation in stroke prevention, treatment, and management. From the study, the networks are associated with improvement in research performance measures, especially recruitment and the period of treatment. Besides, adequate research and evidence-based treatment are linked to improved patient outcomes.
As is evident from the analysis, for an extended period, stroke has been one of the most challenging medical condition to prevent, treat, and manage, recent research efforts have provided sufficient evidence to support improvement in this area. The need for timely treatment is identified as the most vital step in improving care and patient outcomes, as well as in preventing death and permanent disability. Medical experts contend that the symptoms of stroke emerge before the actual incidence. Thus, immediate intervention is associated with positive outcomes in both prevention and treatment.