Practice guideline development for referral patients with acute stroke at primary level hospital

Abstract

This action research aimed to develop a practice guideline for referral patients with acute stroke at a primary level hospital. Seventy two participants were healthcare providers working at an emergency room of the hospital. The participants were divided into 2 teams of developing and trying out the guideline by using the conduct and utilization of research in nursing model (CURN) as a conceptual framework. Descriptive statistics were used to assess the participants’ demographic characteristics including feasibility and possibility of using the guideline among the participants. Problems and obstacles of using the guideline were analyzed via content analysis. After 12 months of developing and trying out the guideline with acute stroke patients at an emergency room, the result revealed that time spent for referral of the patients was approximately 45 min reaching the standard of the American Heart Association. The recommendation was that this effective practical guideline could benefit referral patients with acute stroke at a primary level hospital.