Stroke - For the OSCE for this unit, we were given a number of briefs that I\'ve prepared PDF

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For the OSCE for this unit, we were given a number of briefs that I've prepared notes for each situation. These are my notes for someone who had had a stroke...

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You have received a referral for Alex Hammond who had a stroke approximately 3 months ago. The referral letter states that Alex presents with severe communication difficulties but can answer yes/no questions meaningfully. Alex was in hospital for 4 weeks and was seen by the SLT team when in hospital but you do not have a copy of the notes. Alex works for Marks and Spencer’s

Walking into the room. Make sure the lights are on, they have somewhere to sit, radio/ background noise is off. Apologise for making Alex wait. Ask for surname and how they’d like to be referred to Ask if it’s okay to take notes and explain why and tell them that only the relevant people will be able to access them. What questions to ask? -

Are you okay / how are you dealing with this? Can you confirm your date of birth for me please? Do you know what a stroke is, has it been explained to you? What changes have you made? Do you have any family that are helping you through this time? Are you finding it hard to communicate? Have you gone back to work yet? Do you work as a customer assistant for M&S? Not trying to get me to push me to sign up to a ‘sparks’ card are you? (humour) Are you comfortable/ is there anything I can do with you here today to make your situation better?

What I’m going to tell Alex -

I’m personally going to find and have his notes from the SL team at the hospital for our next session We’re going to work together along with the SLT in the team to work towards a point where you’re happy with your communication I’m not sure how long it will take, everybody is different. Depending on age and adherence to the program.

Questions alex will probably ask me How long will it take to recover? Will it get better? Facts about stroke About 1/3 of people suffer with communication problems after a stroke Communication does improve after stroke but it takes hard work and adherence to a program to get better. Even if you don’t get back to where your communication was at before hand there are other was of communicating Stroke.org.uk Why asking a question is so hard? Your brain has to understand what you are being asked, decide on your answer and put the words together, before you can give them a reply Types of stroke

Ischemic stroke - Occurs when an artery to the brain becomes blocked by a fatty store (possibly by cholesterol but can be caused by other things) accounts for 88% of all strokes. Haemorrhagic stroke – when a weakened blood vessel ruptures in the brain, also known as a bleed on the brain. The blood increases pressure in the brain and can be problematic for the individual. TIA – transient ischemic attack (mini stroke) temporary clot but the blood was able to push through. Not too concerning immediately but is a red flag and has an increased chance of a future ischemic stroke....