Nurse’s Role in Providing Holistic Care for Patients with Post-Stroke Depression
Keywords:
Stroke, Post-stroke depression, Nursing rolesAbstract
Post-stroke depression (PSD) is a significant mental health issue frequently observed in stroke patients. Providing appropriate care, patients will recover to a normal mental state. Nevertheless, delayed screening or treatment may severely affect physical rehabilitation, slowing the recovery process. In cases of patients with PSD are severe, there may be risks of suicidal thoughts or behaviors. Nurses, as key healthcare providers closely involved with patients throughout each phase of stroke recovery, play a critical role in providing holistic care that spans four dimensions: physical, psychological, social, and spiritual. This individualized approach supports recovery, reduces mortality, and enhances the quality of life.
Therefore, this article aims to present nurses’ knowledge in caring for patients with post-stroke depression. It covers symptoms and signs, risk factors, depression assessment, treatment approaches, as well as the nursing role in providing holistic care for patients experiencing post-stroke depression. Nurses are responsible for assessing both the physical and psychological conditions of patients, promoting appropriate medication use, building therapeutic relationships, and offering social support to help patients feel valued. In addition, coordination with healthcare teams and families is emphasized to ensure that nurses can effectively apply the knowledge gained to provide quality care and improve patients’ quality of life.
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