The purpose of this case study is to critically analyse the management of the care planned for an individual who has been admitted into hospital after suffering a stroke. The opportunities to promote the health of this individual will be identified and implemented and the nurse’s ability to apply knowledge which strengthens safe and effective delivery of care will also be demonstrated. A trusting relationship between a patient and the nurse is formed on the basis of confidentiality. Therefore, confidentiality will be maintained and respected throughout this case study to ensure that patient confidentiality is sustained (RCN, 2017). A pseudonym will be used as requested by the NMC Code of The Nursing and Midwifery Council (2015) to protect the identity of the patient and their family. Furthermore, nurses have a focal role in rehabilitating patients who have suffered from a stroke (Nursing Times, YEAR). The two aspects of care that this case study will focus on are nutrition and mobility.
Sandra is 75 years old and resides with her husband in the West Midlands. She was an independent individual who played an active role within the community, regularly holding bake sales for charity as well as, having a busy social life with family and friends. She regularly attended church and was taking line dancing classes until she suffered a major stroke and was admitted into stroke rehabilitation at the hospital. The stroke had a huge impact on Sandra’s physical and mental wellbeing. A stroke occurs due to an interruption in the blood flow to the brain. Some signs of a stroke are weakness, numbness in the affected areas of the body, incoherent speech, aphasia, and problems with sight. The focal deficit identified in a patient is determined by the ischemic area involved. A pathophysiology is the anarchic physiological process which is linked to an injury or disease and an underlying heart or blood vessel disease is the main pathophysiology of a stroke (Strokecenter.org, 2019). Sandra had lost confidence in herself which led to various insecurities. She felt like she has become a burden on her husband, family, and friends.
Sandra experienced weakness in the body, due to which she was unable to stand, walk or perform daily properly without any assistance. Aphasia is another symptom Sandra had experienced and she had difficulties in swallowing properly as well as struggling with her speech. The occurrence of these symptoms has had a negative impact not only on Sandra’s physical health but also her mental and emotional health. She is unable to carry out tasks and participate in activities which she normally would do, and due to her incoherent speech, she is unable to communicate effectively which has had a negative effect on her social life as she finds it difficult to be understood.
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When Sandra was examined, it was found that she had difficulty in speaking. When the nurse asked Sandra to smile, the left side of her face was drooped, and she was unable to raise both her arms or hands simultaneously. Sandra was also suffering a loss of balance when she was standing or walking, had a severe headache with nausea and dark or blurry vision in her left eye. Sandra was diagnosed with Ischemic Stroke after examining her signs and symptoms. A stroke is caused due to either a blood clot (thrombus) that forms in one of the main arteries leading to deprivation of glucose, oxygen and reduced blood flow to the affected part of the brain or, an embolus may have form in another part of the body which is then swept through the bloodstream into the brains narrower arteries where they get stuck. A stroke occurs without warning and both of the causes lead to cell death (Kanyal, N 2015). Sandra suffered from a stroke which was suspected to have been caused due to the formation of a thrombus inside the carotid artery.
Person Centred Care (PCC) has been shown to develop the relationship between the care provider and patient on a treatment plan. This improves health outcomes and increases patient satisfaction. Despite these benefits, there are a variety of significant challenges to putting PCC into clinical practice although care providers broadly acknowledge PCC to be an important part of care. The care providers must establish routines that initiate integrate and safeguard PCC in daily clinical practice to ensure that PCC is systematically and consistently practiced not just when they feel they have time for it. If PCC is conscientiously and systematically applied, this will help to make PCC the focus of care in long-term illness. Long-term health conditions are leading causes of mortality worldwide and have been estimated to be the leading causes of disability by 2020.
