Reflections on 50 Years of Neuroscience Nursing: The Growth of Stroke Nursing.

Over the past 50 years, the Journal of Neuroscience Nursing (JNN) has grown from a neurosurgical focus to the broader neuroscience focus alongside the professional nursing organization that it supports. Stroke care in JNN focused on the surgical treatment and nursing care for cranial treatment of conditions such as cerebral aneurysm, carotid disease, arteriovenous malformation, and artery bypass procedures. As medical science has grown and new medications and treatment modalities have been successfully trialed, JNN has brought to its readership this information about recombinant tissue plasminogen activator, endovascular trials, and new assessment tools such as the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale. JNN is on the forefront of publishing nursing research in the areas of stroke caregiver needs and community education for rapid treatment of stroke and stroke risk reduction. The journal has been timely and informative in keeping neuroscience nurses on the forefront of the changing world of stroke nursing.

Empowered to Serve: Implementing Community Stroke Outreach Using Peer Educators to Improve Readiness to Act Among Local Community Members.

The purpose of this project was to develop a community-based volunteer group of peer educators to provide stroke education to local residents aimed at increasing stroke awareness and action readiness using the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association's "Empowered to Serve" evidence-based curriculum. The "Don't Miss a Stroke" module addresses the recognition of stroke warning signs, actions to take during a stroke, and stroke prevention. A total of 16 volunteers were recruited and subsequently trained. Six volunteers organized community events during the initial 3 months of the project, reaching more than 300 community members. Most participants (84.9%) identified as female, with a mean age of 63 years. Analysis of variance revealed significant improvements in knowledge regarding stroke immediately after the class, which was present 1 month later (F2,144 = 4.832, P = .009). This approach to raising community awareness about stroke emergencies was effective and did not require significant financial investment. Easy access to the curriculum and availability of free printed materials minimized the overall program costs and enhanced the quality of the educational content.