Nursing Best Practices to Prevent Stroke in Women

Stroke remains the third leading cause of death in women affecting 3.8 million women compared with 3 million men.1,2 Almost half of the women surviving stroke are anticipated to have residual deficits, including cognitive dysfunction and weakness 6 months later.3 With the aging population and increased longevity of women in our society, there is an urgent need to concentrate on stroke prevention for women, identify those most at risk, and then take immediate action. Nurses practice in a variety of clinical settings (eg, hospitals, clinics, schools, community outreach programs, etc), thereby having numerous opportunities to empower others to reduce the likelihood of stroke through education and management of personal risk behaviors. The purpose of this article is to summarize best evidence underpinning essential nursing activities targeting stroke prevention in women.A variety of risk factors trigger nurses and other healthcare providers (HCPs) to immediately act. The most prominent stroke risk factors for women are the following: