Neuro 101 Toolkit-AANN Tool Kit - What you should know

AANN Tool Kit - What you should know_FINAL

Pdf Summary

This quick reference helps nurses who are new to neurological care, floating, or working temporarily on a neuro unit. It supplements—not replaces—unit-specific guidance and policies.<br /><br />Nurses should learn the unit’s leadership and communication structure, including whom to contact with questions or unresolved concerns; report practices; rounding and family communication expectations; emergency codes; and procedures for transporting patients. They should also identify available members of the collaborative care team and understand their roles.<br /><br />When giving or receiving report, include the patient’s history, current concerns, neurological findings and trends, risk of deterioration, goals of care, medications, swallow-screen status, hemodynamic goals, lines and drains, monitoring, isolation status, and family spokesperson. Reports should clearly describe the neuro exam and any changes, interventions, or pending tests. Nurses unfamiliar with an exam should ask for a bedside demonstration. Assessment may include level of consciousness, orientation and speech, command-following and movement, pupils, eye movements, facial symmetry, and—when appropriate—gag and swallowing. Stroke patients must pass a swallow screen before taking anything by mouth, including medication.<br /><br />Other care considerations include mobility and head-of-bed orders, devices and monitors, restraints and documentation, diet and feeding assistance, skin care and repositioning, wound care, and EEG leads. Nurses should clarify discharge and level-of-care plans and the roles of case management and other services. For postoperative and new admissions, confirm handoff expectations, deterioration risks, scan needs, assessment and vital-sign frequency, pain and wound care, documentation responsibilities, orders, testing, and whom to contact with concerns.

Keywords

neurological care

nursing report

neuro assessment

swallow screen

stroke patients

patient deterioration

care team

handoff communication

postoperative care

documentation responsibilities