A reassessment of nurses' attitudes towards stroke patients in general medical wards

Abstract

This paper summarizes a research study inquiring into the attitudes of qualified nursing staff and nursing auxiliaries towards stroke patients in general medical wards. The survey was undertaken on eight mixed-sex general medical wards in a large general hospital. All wards are used for clinical nursing experience for nurses in training. Each of the wards, despite having a particular interest in one or more medical specialities, regularly admit patients following stroke. All nurses were therefore familiar and in regular contact with this particular client group. A Likert scale with demonstrated reliability and validity was employed as the data collection instrument. Results indicated that nurses were largely ambivalent in their attitudes towards stroke rehabilitation. The patterns of responses indicate that the nurses who have the more positive attitudes about stroke patients consider that they have a role in stroke rehabilitation and that they value the nursing contribution. The nurses with less positive attitudes towards stroke patients see stroke patients as unco-operative and demanding. The findings suggest the need for specific education for the role of the nurse as a rehabilitator.