Week Ten
NURS6531, N-8 As an advanced practice nurse (APN), one must be able to educate people on various disease processes. According to the American Heart Association (AHA) (2014), stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and the number one leading cause of preventable disability in the United States (U.S.). The purpose of this week?s discussion is to provide a media piece about stroke prevention for the patient population I have cared for thus far. I will give insight as to why I chose this specific type of education material, the details of the piece, and why I feel it is the most appropriate for my particular patient population. Currently, the people I care for consisted of mostly elderly individuals. Many of these people are of …show more content…
Strokes may be either ischemic or hemorrhagic. Hemorrhagic strokes are due to bleeding in or around the brain and ischemic strokes are typically caused by a blockage of blood flow to the brain (Graykoski, 2013). My flyer has a definition in straightforward and easy to understand terminology. Also noted on the media piece are risk factors and prevention methods. According to the AHA (2014), some risk factors for stroke are hypertension, past strokes, diabetes, sedentary lifestyle, atrial fibrillation, and smoking. Also, prevention of strokes consists of smoking cessation, controlling high blood pressure, and healthy diet. Lastly, included on the flyer is an image of signs of a stroke in both English and Spanish. These images use the acronym FAST to help patients understand what stroke signs and symptoms look like and the importance of prompt treatment. A study found that in cases of people that suffered from a stroke 66% of the time someone other than the individual sought treatment (AHA, 2014). Therefore, knowing the signs of a stroke is essential to improve patient