Ischemic Stroke
Course #90284 - $60 -
- Participation Instructions
- Review the course material online or in print.
- Complete the course evaluation.
- Review your Transcript to view and print your Certificate of Completion. Your date of completion will be the date (Pacific Time) the course was electronically submitted for credit, with no exceptions. Partial credit is not available.
During the past decades, advances in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cerebrovascular disorders have led to decreases in the prevalence of stroke (primarily ischemic stroke), but the high rates of morbidity and mortality, despite a number of modifiable risk factors, point to the need for enhanced education for both patients and physicians. Enhancing healthcare professionals' knowledge about evidence-based guidelines, as well as about advances in diagnostic tools, is crucial for improving the outcomes for individuals who are at risk for stroke or in whom a stroke has occurred. A better understanding is needed about the options for patients at risk for stroke, as well as for treatment and rehabilitation. This course explores the roles of diagnosis and screening, evaluation of individuals with suspected stroke, immediate treatment of stroke, and the elements of effective rehabilitation programs. Heightened awareness of variations in the prevalence of stroke according to age, sex, and racial/ethnic groups will help clinicians and healthcare educators target individuals in need of enhanced education about the risks of stroke, especially those that are modifiable.
This course is designed for physicians, nurses, and physician assistants in the primary care setting. Neurologists and other healthcare practitioners will also benefit from this course.
The early identification and management of the risk factors for ischemic stroke can lead to substantial health benefits and reductions in cost. However, research has documented gaps between healthcare professionals' knowledge and practice with respect to prevention, demonstrating that adherence to evidence-based or guideline-endorsed recommendations pertaining to all interventions for primary and secondary prevention are underutilized or ineffective. The purpose of this course is to provide needed information about the roles of diagnosis and screening, timely evaluation of individuals with suspected stroke, immediate treatment of stroke, and the elements of effective rehabilitation programs so that healthcare professionals may implement the necessary interventions appropriately.
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
- Describe the primary types of cerebrovascular disorders and their causes.
- Discuss differences in prevalence, morbidity, and mortality according to age, sex, and race/ethnicity.
- Identify the nonmodifiable and modifiable risk factors for ischemic stroke.
- Implement primary prevention strategies according to evidence-based guidelines.
- Discuss the need for education at the community and patient levels.
- Apply models of predicting risk of ischemic stroke.
- Select the appropriate tools for screening, diagnosis, and early management of ischemic stroke.
- Describe the elements of stroke systems of care and a comprehensive stroke center.
- Discuss evidence-based treatment options for ischemic stroke.
- Describe the benefits and components of a specialized stroke rehabilitation team.
- Outline the aspects of patient assessment for stroke rehabilitation.
- Discuss evidence-based recommendations for secondary prevention of ischemic stroke.
Lori L. Alexander, MTPW, ELS, MWC, is President of Editorial Rx, Inc., which provides medical writing and editing services on a wide variety of clinical topics and in a range of media. A medical writer and editor for more than 30 years, Ms. Alexander has written for both professional and lay audiences, with a focus on continuing education materials, medical meeting coverage, and educational resources for patients. She is the Editor Emeritus of the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) Journal, the peer-review journal representing the largest association of medical communicators in the United States. Ms. Alexander earned a Master’s degree in technical and professional writing, with a concentration in medical writing, at Northeastern University, Boston. She has also earned certification as a life sciences editor and as a medical writer.
John M. Leonard, MD, Professor of Medicine Emeritus, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, completed his post-graduate clinical training at the Yale and Vanderbilt University Medical Centers before joining the Vanderbilt faculty in 1974. He is a clinician-educator and for many years served as director of residency training and student educational programs for the Vanderbilt University Department of Medicine. Over a career span of 40 years, Dr. Leonard conducted an active practice of general internal medicine and an inpatient consulting practice of infectious diseases.
Contributing faculty, Lori L. Alexander, MTPW, ELS, MWC, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Contributing faculty, John M. Leonard, MD, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
John V. Jurica, MD, MPH
Margo A. Halm, RN, PhD, NEA-BC, FAAN
The division planners have disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Sarah Campbell
The Director of Development and Academic Affairs has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
The purpose of NetCE is to provide challenging curricula to assist healthcare professionals to raise their levels of expertise while fulfilling their continuing education requirements, thereby improving the quality of healthcare.
Our contributing faculty members have taken care to ensure that the information and recommendations are accurate and compatible with the standards generally accepted at the time of publication. The publisher disclaims any liability, loss or damage incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents. Participants are cautioned about the potential risk of using limited knowledge when integrating new techniques into practice.
It is the policy of NetCE not to accept commercial support. Furthermore, commercial interests are prohibited from distributing or providing access to this activity to learners.
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The role of implicit biases on healthcare outcomes has become a concern, as there is some evidence that implicit biases contribute to health disparities, professionals' attitudes toward and interactions with patients, quality of care, diagnoses, and treatment decisions. This may produce differences in help-seeking, diagnoses, and ultimately treatments and interventions. Implicit biases may also unwittingly produce professional behaviors, attitudes, and interactions that reduce patients' trust and comfort with their provider, leading to earlier termination of visits and/or reduced adherence and follow-up. Disadvantaged groups are marginalized in the healthcare system and vulnerable on multiple levels; health professionals' implicit biases can further exacerbate these existing disadvantages.
Interventions or strategies designed to reduce implicit bias may be categorized as change-based or control-based. Change-based interventions focus on reducing or changing cognitive associations underlying implicit biases. These interventions might include challenging stereotypes. Conversely, control-based interventions involve reducing the effects of the implicit bias on the individual's behaviors. These strategies include increasing awareness of biased thoughts and responses. The two types of interventions are not mutually exclusive and may be used synergistically.