Transforming Nursing and Healthcare
Optimizing the Workflow in Stroke Care
A stroke is a medical emergency when the blood flow to the brain stops, which could lead to brain damage, disability, and death (American Stroke Association [ASA], 2013). It is one of the major cause of serious disability for adults and is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018). For every minute passed during an ischemic stroke, there are 1.9 million neurons, 14 billion synapses, and 12 km (7.5 miles) of myelinated fibers are being destroyed (Saver, 2006). According to Saver (2006), “each hour in which treatment fails to occur, the brain loses as many neurons as it does in almost 3.6 years of normal aging” (p. 265). Hence, there is a real urgency to treat a patient with stroke once he or she arrives in an emergency room. The purpose of this study is to determine ways to analyze the current workflow in the emergency room (ER) of Adventist Health Hospital in Bakersfield and propose ways to improve the workflow as supported by evidenced-based practice research.NURS 6025 Transforming Nursing and Healthcare