The NIH Stroke Scale
The NIH Stroke Scale is organized by Nurse.com - OnCourse Learning Corporation.
Description
The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) is used throughout the U.S. in hospital stroke centers. The Joint Commission requires all patients who receive tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) to be assessed using a full NIHSS. The NIHSS assesses stroke severity. Nurses and other members of the healthcare team can track the patient’s response to treatment by monitoring trends in the NIHSS. Nurses are trained to perform the NIHSS for monitoring patients after a stroke, specifically those at risk for worsening neurological status. With proper training in use of NIHSS, little variance should exist in results among nurses. Education is essential for improved reliability and increased effective communication regarding stroke treatment.
Goal and Learning Outcomes
The goal of this program is to educate nurses about the NIHSS for the evaluation of neurological status in adult patients with acute stroke.
After taking this course, you should be able to:
- Identify nursing considerations related to the NIHSS.
- Discuss the NIHSS validity as a predictor of outcomes and stroke severity in patients with stroke.
- State how to perform a neurological assessment using the NIHSS.