Canadian Journal of Neuroscience Nursing

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Coma, vegetative state (VS) and minimally conscious state (MCS) are disastrous outcomes following severe traumatic brain injury. Due to the extent of the resultant neurological deficits including hemisphere damage, loss of cellular integrity, altered and abnormal movements such as flexor and extensor patterns, and alterations in cranial nerve function, it can become difficult for the interprofessional team to identify when a patient is emerging from their coma. The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), commonly used to assess patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) is not comprehensive or sensitive enough to provide concrete evidence that a patient is emerging from VS to an MCS...

BACKGROUND: Due to the abrupt onset of a stroke, caregivers are often unprepared for the role, have extensive needs and are at risk for negative outcomes. Interventions facilitating development of coping and problem solving skills are shown to decrease the negative effects of caregiving. The Family Informal Caregiver Stroke Self-Management (FICSS) program was developed to address the unmet needs of family caregivers of stroke survivors. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the content, format and resource materials of the FICSS program with 10-12 family caregivers of stroke survivors within Central South Ontario...

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this point-of-care study was to test the efficacy of a prevention-based oral care protocol in reducing non-ventilator-associated hospital-acquired pneumonia in a neurosurgical population outside the critical care environment. The researchers hypothesized that an enhanced oral care protocol would decrease the incidence of pneumonia. METHODS: This quasi-experimental, comparative study took place on an acute neurosurgical unit at a tertiary care trauma hospital in Western Canada...

BACKGROUND: Reduction of blood pressure (BP) after stroke or TIA decreases stroke recurrence and is a major goal ofsecondary Stroke Prevention Clinics (SPCs). Health care providers need effective screening processes to identify those clients at highest risk of not achieving BP targets and those clients at highest risk ofnon-adherence to medication. METHODS: This multicentred, randomized controlled study used a screening process to identify SPC patients with psychosocial/cognitive deficits (e...

Goal setting is a common practice in rehabilitation, yet there is a paucity of literature exploring patients' perceptions of their roles in this process. This study was conducted using a qualitative descriptive methodology to explore patients' perceptions of their roles in setting goals in a spinal cord injury regional rehabilitation program. Imogene King's theory of goal attainment was used to frame the study. Data were collected through interviews and analyzed using a content analysis. The results revealed four themes: Visioning, Redefining, Brainstorming, and Rebuilding Participants (n = 13) envisioned their roles as setting an overarching priority goal, defining detailed rehabilitation goals, sharing knowledge with the team, and rebuilding skills to attain goals...

An estimated one-third of the world's population (2 billion people) is infected with the tubercle bacilli (TB), which is estimated to cause 6% of all deaths worldwide. Despite there being a decline in the incidence of tuberculosis seen in Europe, there are still some countries in the rest of the world where the estimated number of new cases is very high. When a person presents with persistent fever with or without neurological symptoms, the diagnosis of TB cannot be excluded. We present a case report of a 26-year-old male patient, who died of CNS tuberculosis...

BACKGROUND: Nurses have a pivotal role in providing facilitating, advocating and promoting the best possible care and outcome for the client. To ensure decisions and actions are based on current standards of practice, nurses must be accountable for participation in ongoing education in their area of practice. AIM: To present a description of the current state of Polish nursing education and specialized model for neurological and neurosurgical nursing that can be utilized for both undergraduate and postgraduate continuing education in Poland...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

The purpose of this study was to investigate staff experience and satisfaction in the seizure monitoring unit (SMU) of a large health region serving a population of 1.4 million. A staff satisfaction questionnaire was administered yearly between 2007 and 2010 with an average response rate of 58.4%. The majority of staff perceived the SMU to be a positive workplace. Strengths of the SMU were interdisciplinary teamwork and patient-centred care. Satisfaction with professional development opportunities increased from 2007 to 2010, likely reflecting the implementation of training sessions...

BACKGROUND: There are few data about the quality of nursing care on an epilepsy monitoring unit. This study evaluated the impact of an educational program on the quality of care provided by nurses in an epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) using an investigator-developed assessment tool. OBJECTIVES: There were two objectives for this study. The first objective was to measure nurses' assessments of patients on the EMU in a quantifiable form. The second objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational program on the scores of the Nursing Assessment Rating Scale...

BACKGROUND: Headache is the most common presenting symptom of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), ranging from mild headache to the "worst headache of my life". As headache is often non-specific, patients may not seek immediate medical attention, though prompt medical and surgical management is expected to improve clinical outcomes. In this study, we explore the independent association between duration from onset of symptoms to presentation at an emergency department (ED) and clinical outcomes after SAH...

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to examine the emotional process of stroke recovery, personally experienced by stroke survivors. Nine stroke survivors living in Atlantic Canada participated in this study. Data collection came from formal unstructured interviews and one group interview. The central problem experienced by these stroke survivors was being less than 100%. The basic social process used to address this problem was becoming normal, which is composed of three stages: recognizing stroke will not go away, choosing to work on recovery, and working on being normal...

Over the past decade, an exciting area of research has emerged that demonstrates strong links between specific nursing care activities and patient outcomes. This body of research has resulted in the identification of a set of "nursing-sensitive outcomes"(NSOs). These NSOs may be interpreted with more meaning when they are linked to evidence-based best practice guidelines, which provide a structured means of ensuring care is consistent among all health care team members, across geographic locations, and across care settings...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

PURPOSE: With advances in pediatric health care, many adolescents with complex chronic neurological conditions live well into adulthood. As such, the movement toward adult health care services is an expected and desired outcome of pediatric care. When the young adult has an intellectual impairment in addition to a complex chronic neurological condition, parental involvement is critical in the transition process, as these young adults are unable to make informed decisions independently and require significant guidance from caregivers...

Posterior fossa syndrome (PFS), or cerebellar affective syndrome, is a severe and distressing complication that may occur in up to 40% of children following posterior fossa brain tumour resection. Depending on the type, size and location of the tumour, clinical presentations of PFS can vary widely. Patients may exhibit mutism, emotional lability, high-pitched crying (sole form of vocalization), poor oral intake, extreme irritability, decreased motor movements and urinary retention. Typically, the onset of the syndrome occurs one to five days after surgery resulting in a devastating situation for patients and families...

This descriptive correlational study examined relationships between mild stroke functional and psychosocial outcomes over the early post-discharge period among dyads of mild stroke patients (n=38) and their spousal caregivers (n=38). We measured patients' functional scores using the modified Rankin Scale; patients' and caregivers' quality of life (QoL) using Stroke Impact Scale and Short-Form 36 respectively, mood using the Beck Depression Inventory-II, and marital function scores using the Family Assessment Device...