Abstract WP400: Decreasing Readmissions With Improved Stroke Education

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Education for stroke survivors and their caregivers is an essential part of the plan of care. Often times, only written materials are provided to this population which can be difficult due to varying levels of cognitive function and aphasia after a stroke. Our project sought to find a tool that would help to give education in a different format to help decrease our readmission rates. Process: A group of nurses and the stroke committee at SwedishAmerican evaluated several types of education that exists for stroke survivors and their caregivers. It was decided that the educational video “You’ve Had a Stroke, Now What?” contained the information the group that would be most beneficial to this population. Nurses provided a copy of the educational DVD to stroke survivors prior to discharge to take home with them. They also conducted a survey during their follow-up discharge phone calls to ensure that they had the DVD and if they did not a copy was sent to their home. Results: Pre-data showed that our 7 day readmission rates for stroke ranged from 3.13-7.69%. After implementation of providing the stroke education DVD to patients and their families the 7 day readmission rates dropped to 0%. Conclusions: Health disparities, such as stroke, can cause tremendous anxiety and are taxing on not only the stroke survivor, but the caregivers as well. Using the “You’ve Had a Stroke, Now What?” has proven to be a beneficial educational tool that can help to overcome some of the initial anxiety and stress that is often encountered as this population is learning to adapt upon discharge to home from the hospital setting and help to prevent unnecessary readmissions.