Quality Improvement of Palliative Care in Stroke Patients, Acute Stroke Unit, Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai

Abstract

This developmental study aimed to improve the quality of palliative care for stroke patients in the acute stroke unit at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital using the FOCUS PDCA continuous quality improvement process. The population in this study was 13 professional nurses. Three of them were in the developmental team, and ten were in the practical team. The study tools consisted of a personal information questionnaire, focus group interview instructions, an observation and inspection form regarding the following palliative care guidelines for stroke patients, and a form for documenting the patient outcome index in palliative care for stroke patients. All data was analyzed through descriptive statistics consisting of frequency and percentage.

The results showed that ten nurses in the practical team used the guidelines correctly in 24 patients, accounting for 87.5%. Additionally, the study of patient indicators from the twenty-four patients found that 100% of the patients received assessments for pain, anxiety, and satisfaction. Furthermore, pain, and anxiety management were provided, and both patients and their families expressed satisfaction with the palliative care provided.

The findings of this study can be used as a guideline to improve the quality of palliative care for stroke patients in other healthcare settings.