1. Informing Patients with Acute Stroke About their Risk of Dementia: A Survey of UK Healthcare Professionals.
- Author
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Ball EL, Mead GE, Tang EYH, Religa D, Quinn TJ, and Shenkin SD
- Subjects
- Humans, Risk, Surveys and Questionnaires, United Kingdom epidemiology, Dementia epidemiology, Professional-Patient Relations, Stroke epidemiology, Stroke therapy
- Abstract
Objectives: Cognitive problems following stroke are of key concern to stroke survivors. Discussing risk of dementia at the time of stroke could have implications for follow-up care. However, informing someone who has just had a stroke about risk of dementia could cause distress. This survey explored healthcare professionals' views on discussing risk of post-stroke dementia at the time of stroke., Materials and Methods: This online survey was aimed at all UK healthcare professionals who care for patients with stroke. The survey was distributed via the mailing lists of seven professional stroke-related organisations and Twitter. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise findings., Results: Sixty healthcare professionals completed the survey. Healthcare professionals were aware of the main risk factors associated with post-stroke dementia (e.g. previous stroke, age). Most respondents (N=34/60, 57%) thought that patients with acute stroke would benefit from knowing if they are at high risk of dementia, and 75% (N=45/60) agreed that carers would benefit. Despite this, the majority of healthcare professionals (N=47/53, 89%) who cared for patients with acute stroke in the past year said they rarely/never discussed dementia with their patients. Most respondents (N=46/60, 77%) thought risk of dementia should be discussed 1-6 months post-stroke., Conclusion: Although healthcare professionals felt it would be helpful to discuss risk of post-stroke dementia, in practice, most said that they rarely or never discussed this with their patients. Stroke survivors could benefit from a healthcare system that offers appropriate follow-up care and support to patients at high risk of dementia., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2022
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