A comparison study on nurses' and therapists' perception on the positioning of stroke patients in Singapore General Hospital

Abstract

Before developing a study to evaluate the effect of positioning on outcome after stroke, it was important to explore whether there were differences in perception between neurology/neurosurgery nurses, nurses from other wards, occupational therapists (OTs) and physiotherapists (PTs) over the positioning of stroke patients in Singapore General Hospital (SGH). Questionnaires were sent to 227 nurses, seven PTs and six OTs from six wards where more stroke patients are cared for in SGH. Seventy-two per cent of the respondents identified bed positioning as their positioning strategy. 'Sitting in a chair' was selected as the best position by most of the respondents in the three specialty groups for nursing conscious hemiplegic stroke patients. 'A 30 degree propped-up angle in bed' was selected as the best position by the majority of the nurses from the neuroscience wards while 'lying horizontally on the unaffected side' of the body was selected as the best position by most of the nurses from other wards, PTs and OTs for nursing unconscious hemiplegic stroke patients. However, no significant difference was found between the groups in what they considered the best position for stroke patients. The lack of consensus between these respondents is probably because there are few studies to guide nursing practices for the positioning of stroke patients. Hence, research to confirm which positions improve or hinder outcome after stroke is indispensable.