Virginia “ Ginny ” Murphy , MSN , RN , CCRN , recenty tookonthe role of Englewood Health ’ s stroke program coordinator .
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What a Critical Care Nurse Wants You to Know About Stroke
Virginia “ Ginny ” Murphy , MSN , RN , CCRN , recentlypassed aprofessional milestone : her 45th year working atEnglewood Health .
Having begun her careerasanurse ’ s aide , Murphy pursued abachelor ’ s and master ’ s in nursing , aswell as acertification in criticalcare , while working nights in Englewood Health ’ sintensive care unit ( ICU ).
Looking back ather career now , Murphysaysifthere is one disease that has defined her time as anurse , it ’ s stroke .
“ My colleagues and I cared forhundreds of stroke patients ,” Murphysays . “ I began serving as anight shift care manager and on the hospital ’ sstrokecommittee , where Iwas responsible forcollecting data on stroke patients in the ICU .”
After years ofexperience indata collection and clinical carefor strokepatients , Murphyrecently took on the roleofstroke program coordinator . In her new post , she provides leadership and helps ensure the delivery of high-quality stroke care , as well as community education efforts on stroke prevention and detection .
Detecting stroke while there ’ s still time
“ If there is one thing I hope to impart , it is the importance of getting care as quickly as possible if you or someone you love is showing symptoms of a stroke ,” Murphysays .
According to Murphy , if you ’ re ever questioning whether someone is indeed having a stroke , the best course of action is to rely on the well-known AmericanHeartAssociation acronym “ BEFAST .”
“ BEFAST offers asimple way torecognize and respondtothe signs of stroke ,” Murphysays . “ Each letter in the acronym stands for a different symptom to lookfor .”
B- Balance : Is the person having trouble with balance or coordination ?
E- Eyes : Is the person having sudden vision changes or trouble seeing in one or both eyes ?
F- Face : Does the person ’ s face look uneven or droopy , especially on one side ?
A-Arms : Is one armweak or numb ? Ask theperson to raise both arms . Does one arm drift downward ? S- Speech : Is the person slurring their words or having trouble speaking clearly ?
T- Time : If you notice any of these symptoms , it ’ s important to act quickly and call for911 right away . Getting help quickly can improvethe chances of a positive outcome for the person experiencing a stroke . In the case of an ischemic stroke — which is caused by a blood clot in the brain — there is only a 3-to-4.5-hour window to receive medication that can save your life .
“ Once you ’ ve determined the presence of stroke symptoms , I can ’ t emphasize enough how important it is to call 911 rather than drivingtothe hospital on your own ,” Murphy says .
Calling an ambulance instead of driving to the hospital offers a host of benefits that can increase your chance of a positive outcome after stroke . One major benefit is that if your condition begins to deteriorate , emergency medical services ( EMS ) will be able to care for you on the way to the hospital .
“ EMS will take your vital signs and forward them to the emergency department , saving precious minutes ,” Murphy says . “ They will also call ahead to the hospital so the emergency department and radiology team will be ready for you the second you arrive .”
Murphy says that when these departments work together to provide well-orchestrated , expedient stroke intervention , it is “ awe-inspiring ” to see the positive effect it has on patient outcomes .
Reducing your risk for stroke
When it comes to stroke prevention , there are risk factors you can modify and risk factors you cannot modify . Unmodifiable risk factors for stroke include your age , race , or familyhistory of stroke .
These factors can be counterbalanced with lifestyle changes like quitting smoking and vaping , limiting alcohol intake , improving your diet , and staying active . Other modifiable risk factors include high blood pressure , diabetes , or high cholesterol — managing these conditions with simplemedication and lifestyle changes can loweryour risk for stroke .
“ So manyof us have been touched by stroke in some way — whether it ’ s affected someone we know , someone in our family or ourselves ,” Murphy says , “ I think it ’ s important that we remember we can prevent stroke if we mitigate our risk factors and take care of ourselves ingeneral .”
To learnmore about stroke prevention andcare , visitenglewoodhealth . org / service / stroke-center
8 SPRING 2023 | THE RECORD HEALTH QUARTERLY | PREPARED BY THE ADVERTISING DEPT .