Rehabilitation Nursing for CVA and Stroke

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This course is part of our CRRN® Prep-Program. Learn more about the full prep-program here: MedBridge CRRN® Prep-Program.

This course gives students an overview of stroke (also known as cerebrovascular accident) and the nurse’s role in caring for patients and families. The epidemiology and etiology of stroke will be discussed. Participants will learn to identify the location of stroke and associated specific common deficits that result from stroke. Emergent care and rehabilitation nursing strategies to optimize function following stroke will be described. This course enables the rehabilitation nurse to apply the nursing process to optimize the patient’s function following stroke.

CRRN® is a registered trademark of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses.

Meet your instructor

Michelle Camicia

Michelle Camicia is the director of operations for Kaiser Foundation Rehabilitation Center at the Vallejo Medical Center. She is responsible for day-to-day operations of the center as well as outreach, quality, and regulatory oversight. Michelle is a past president of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses. She has…

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Chapters & learning objectives

1. Introduction to Stroke

Stroke is the leading cause of significant disability in adults and has a notable impact on society. The rehabilitation nurse has an important role in prevention of stroke. This chapter covers the prevalence of stroke, stroke risk factors, and stroke prevention.

2. Pathophysiology of Stroke and Emergent Care

Understanding the anatomy of the brain and how the location of stroke determines the patient’s clinical presentation can help rehabilitation nurses provide more effective care. This chapter briefly reviews the anatomy of the brain, areas of control related to different causes of stroke, and resulting clinical presentation.

3. Stroke Treatment Across the Continuum

Treatment of stroke occurs across the continuum of care, from emergency care through return to the community. Stroke management includes diagnostic, pharmacologic, surgical, and rehabilitation interventions. This chapter provides a brief review of emergency and acute care management of stroke, followed by the nursing assessment and intervention to optimize stroke recovery.

4. Stroke and the Family System

Stroke is not only a crisis for the patient, but it also has a significant impact on his/her family system. Patients who survive a stroke often require assistance from a family caregiver. In this chapter, the assessment and identification of needs of the caregivers and interventions to promote caregiver health will be described.

More courses in this series

Rehabilitation Nursing for Patients with Communication Disorders

Michelle Camicia