Ontario regional stroke centres: survey of neurological nursing assessment practices with acute stroke patients.

A survey to explore which neurological stroke assessment scales were being used by nurses at all nine regional stroke centres (RSCs) in Ontario, and education strategies for implementation of the new scales was conducted in 2004. Findings revealed that nurses are moving away from reliance on the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) towards use of more standardized stroke severity scales to facilitate assessment, documentation, and care planning with acute stroke survivors. Scales used include the Canadian Neurological Scale and the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale. Consistency in use between nurses was identified as an implementation challenge that was best addressed through integration of the scale into the process of care and documentation and bedside education.