Stroke and Depression
Ranked as the fourth cause of death in United States, stroke remains as one of the diseases that leave a lot of people to live in trepidation as significant numbers of people are orphans due to this deadly disease. Stroke also known as brain attack, occurs when there is a blockage of blood vessels that are responsible for channeling blood to the brain. When this happens, brain cells start to die due to lack of oxygen hence abilities that are controlled by that area is lost. This disease is often associated with depression following trauma that is experienced from its effects. While treating this disease is of the hardest tasks for doctors, certain governmental and world health organizations have come up with good policies to address it.
Strategies of handling stroke and depression should aim at the disease’ risk factors, causes, prevention measures, diagnosis, and treatment. The current policies that have been used to address this disease considered the following questions while initiating plans to address stroke and depression; what data is needed and who owns the authority to make the system change? How can the issue be addressed with the highest rate of socio-ecological model? Which programs within the health state department are able to collaborate and carry the message and intervention onward? This question gives the first line of policies in handling the disease (Heinemann 2013).
Current policies aim at laying certain methods that can ensure effective ways of assisting people. One of the strategies is promotion to use electronic health records (EHR) with decision support, registry function, and electronic reminders. These machines assist in critical decisions that cannot be made by the doctors. Two, the disease has been traumatizing every state, hence, introduction of multidisciplinary health care teams to share, solve and give certain helpful information to reduce high prevalence rate. The teams include State Hospital Association, Medicare Quality Improvement, and Pharmacy Association.
Another policy that has been used by the health sector is devotion to current Joint National Committee (JNC)/Adult Treatment Panel (ATP) guidelines and other evidence-based Depression and stroke guidelines (e.g., quality improvement presentation measurement, medication speculative detailing)( Robinson et al. 2013). Lastly, promotion of system to support homemade and self-management has been a good strategy to prevent and solve problems of depression and stroke. These systems include, linkages to various homes monitoring, follow up through phone, community health workers, and self-management programs. In most cases, healthcare sectors have put in place free calls or relatively low charges to contact them.
There are also programs that have helped in campaigning and creating awareness about stroke and depression. (Eric & Christopher, 2010) says, “Most people did not have resourceful information about depression hence people died in situations that could be assisted”. Hence, the medical departments came up with policies of campaigning to educate the public. Example includes act F.A.S.T campaign which means-Face-Arm-Speed-Time. This was launched in February 2009. It is a simple way to test for signs of stroke and understand the importance of emergency treatment. Heinemann (2013) says that there has been good awareness as a result of this campaign. “By allowing people to call 990 in case of emergency, a number of people have been assisted hence the campaign is effective”. (Heinemann 2013)
Policies that have been put to address stroke and depression anonymously rely on ways to inform and reach people who are not aware of the disease and get possible treatment and preventive measures. This implies that nursing practice should be creating awareness rather than sitting in hospitals to wait for patients. According to Sergeev (2013), stroke is deadly; therefore, its preventive measures should be looked into more than treatment since prevention is better than cure. This challenges the gallants of medics to disperse there services to community based level to properly address the issue of this brain disease. Suggestively, mobile nursing practices should be put in place to reach all people, especially up country where the awareness is minimal. This information influences the nursing practice to shift their work from hospital based services to home based services. “This disease may be spontaneous hence knowing its symptoms at an early age are quite difficult hence it can be realized later when treating it becomes definitely impossible” (Korpershoek et al. 2011).
Following the above discussion, stroke is a disease that results from death of brain cells due to blockage of blood vessels causing lack of oxygen to such cells. In return, it is followed by severe depression because of effects and lifestyle being experienced by the victims. Various policies based on ways to prevent this condition are currently being used. They include; use of electronic health records, formation of multi-disciplinary health care team, promotion to linkages between community based system and healthcare system, and use of self-management system such as phones to create awareness and education. This topic based on policies to address depression and stroke, influences the nursing practice to shift their services to a community-based system.
References
Eric S., K., Nansook, P., & Christopher, P. (n.d). Perceived neighborhood social cohesion and stroke. Social Science & Medicine, 9749-55.
Heinemann, A. (2013). Environmental Factors Item Development for Persons with Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury and Spinal Cord Injury. Archives Of Physical Medicine And Rehabilitation.
Korpershoek, C., van der Bijl, J., & Hafsteinsdóttir, T. B. (2011). Self-efficacy and its influence on recovery of patients with stroke: a systematic review.Journal Of Advanced Nursing, 67(9), 1876-1894.
Robinson, C. A., Noritake Matsuda, P., Ciol, M. A., & Shumway-Cook, A. (2013). Participation in Community Walking Following Stroke: The Influence of Self-Perceived Environmental Barriers. Physical Therapy, 93(5), 620-627
Sergeev, A. V. (2013). STROKE MORTALITY DISPARITIES IN THE POPULATION OF THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN REGION. Ethnicity & Disease, 23(3), 286.
