Mode of care delivery in stroke rehabilitation nursing: a development of Kirkevold’s Unified Theoretical Perspective of the role of the nurse

Abstract

The literature related to the nursing interventions in stroke care has been primarily concerned with the identification of tasks that taken together can be considered as a distinctive nursing role. Kirkevold’s unified perspective of the nurse’s role reflects this general trend. This article will argue that whilst Kirkevold’s perspective portrays a complete picture of the nurse’s role in terms of tasks in stroke rehabilitation, it fails to deliver a complete picture of the nurse’s role as it does not address the manner in which these tasks are delivered. Results from a recent study of nurses’ and patients’ perceptions of the nursing care in stroke units will be used to demonstrate the distinctive mode of delivery of care that is required for the nurse’s rehabilitative function to be fulfilled. The results will demonstrate that the mode of care takes two forms, facilitative interventions that assist the patients and the process of non-intervention, which limit the nurse’s intervention. The rationale for these approaches is defined and the implications discussed in terms of both a more complete definition of the role of the nurse when the mode of care is added to Kirkevold’s perspective and also the inherent implications for the clinical practice.