Background: Stroke remains a leading cause of disability worldwide, significantly impairing motor function, activities of daily living (ADL), swallowing function, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Comprehensive nursing-led interventions may improve these outcomes, yet empirical evidence from controlled trials in Indian hospital settings is limited. Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of integrated nursing strategies on clinical outcomes and HRQoL among patients with stroke. Methods: A true experimental pretest–posttest control group design was adopted. Thirty patients with acute stroke admitted to selected hospitals in Salem were randomly assigned to an experimental group ( n = 15) receiving integrated nursing strategies and a control group ( n = 15) receiving routine hospital care. Clinical outcomes assessed included blood pressure and blood sugar control, motor function, ADL, and swallowing function. HRQoL was also evaluated. Statistical analysis involved chi-square tests, paired and independent t tests. Results: Post-intervention, the experimental group demonstrated statistically significant improvements in blood pressure and blood sugar control ( P < 0.001), motor function ( P < 0.001), ADL ( P < 0.001), swallowing function ( P < 0.001), and HRQoL ( P < 0.001) compared to the control group. No significant differences were observed between groups at baseline. Conclusion: Integrated nursing strategies were effective in improving both clinical outcomes and HRQoL among patients with stroke. The findings support the feasibility and potential efficacy of structured nursing-led interventions, warranting validation through a large-scale trial.
Ramasamy et al. (Thu,) studied this question.