Stroke education for healthcare professionals: Making it fit for purpose

Title: Stroke education for healthcare professionals: Making it fit for purpose Research questions: 1. What are healthcare professionals' (HCPs) educational priorities regarding stroke care? 2. Do stroke care priorities vary across the primary and secondary sectors? 3. How do HCPs conceive stroke care will be delivered in 2010? Study design: This was a two-year study using focus groups and interviews for instrument development, questionnaires for data collection and workshops to provide study feedback. Data were collected in 2005-06. Study site: One Scottish health board. Inclusion criteria: All National Health Service healthcare professionals working wherever stroke care occurred. Population and sample: Participants were drawn from 4 university teaching hospitats, 2 community hospitals, 1 geriatric medicine day hospital, 48 general practices (GPs), 12 care homes and 15 community teams. The sample comprised 155 doctors, 313 nurses, 133 therapists (physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists), and 29 'other HCPs' (14 dieticians, 7 pharmacists, 2 podiatrists and 6 psychologists). Results: HCPs prefer face-to-face, accredited education but blended approaches are required that accommodate uni- and multidisciplinary demands. Doctors and nurses are more inclined towards discipline-specific training compared to therapists and other healthcare professionals (HCPs). HCPs in primary care and stroke units want more information on the social impact of stroke while those working in stroke units in particular are concerned with leadership in the multidisciplinary team. Nurses are the most interested in teaching patients and carers. Conclusions: Stroke requires more specialist stroke staff, the upskilling of current staff and a national education pathway given that stroke care is most effectively managed by specialists with specific clinical skills. The current government push towards a flexible workforce is welcome but should be educationalty-sound and recognise the career aspirations of healthcare professionals. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.