Study Protocol on Stroke Management: Role of Nurses and Physiotherapists at the Adult University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka Zambia

Abstract

Background: Management of stroke patients requires a multidisciplinary approach. Literature presents unequivocal evidence of improved outcomes when patients are treated in a stroke unit by multi-disciplinary teams made up of medical doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists. Among the multidisciplinary team members, physiotherapists and nurses are the largest professional workforce working with both stroke patients and survivors. This study, therefore, aims at investigating the role of nurses and physiotherapists in the management of stroke patients at the Adult University Teaching Hospital. Methodology: This study shall utilize a convergent parallel mixed method design where both quantitative and qualitative data will be collected at the same time resulting in two data sets which will eventually be merged at the point of discussion. The quantitative component shall utilize an analytical cross-sectional approach while the qualitative component shall use a qualitative case study approach. The study will be conducted at the Adult University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka. Data will be collected from all the 287 nurses and 37 physiotherapists working in the Emergency Department, Medical Wards, Adult Intensive Care Unit and the Department of Physiotherapy. Quantitative data will be analyzed using Statistical Package for social sciences. Descriptive statistics shall be computed on the role of nurses and physiotherapists in stroke care. In addition, chi-square and fisher’s exact tests will be used in the test for associations between variables while binary logistic regression will be used in identifying predictors of the various roles played by nurses and physiotherapists in the management of stroke patients. Qualitative data will be analyzed using thematic analysis in order to generate new concepts and a substantive model of care for stroke patients. Conclusion: Despite research evidence of improved outcomes when stroke patients are managed by a multi-disciplinary team, data on the role of different members of the multidisciplinary care team in stroke management is almost non-existent from the Zambia context. It is therefore hoped that information obtained from this study will be used as a basis for recommending the streamlined role of the nurse and physiotherapist in both acute care and rehabilitation.