RESOURCES

• American Stroke Association is a consumer site and a division of the American Heart Association.  It provides education and information regarding the warning signs of a stroke, reducing the risk of a stroke, and coping with life after a stroke.  There is a link for health care professionals as well as a comprehensive Heart and Stroke Encyclopedia. 

• OSS Best Practice Guidelines for Stroke Care (binder)

• Canadian Stroke Strategy (CSS) is a joint initiative of the Canadian Stroke Network and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. The goal of the Canadian Stroke Strategy is to help support an integrated approach to stroke prevention, treatment and rehabilitation in every province and territory by 2010. A national working group of the Canadian Stroke Strategy recently developed the Canadian Best Practice Recommendations for Stroke Care, 2006 and 2008. Recommendations cover everything from blood pressure management to brain imaging to inpatient rehabilitation.

• Canadian Hypertension Education Program (CHEP) CHEP is a volunteer, non-profit hypertension education program that provides Canadian annually updated, relevant, evidence based hypertension guidance delivering improved cardiovascular outcomes to all Canadians.

• Cochrane Stroke Group has been a part of The Cochrane Collaboration since August 1993. The Cochrane Collaboration is an international organization that aims to help people make well-informed decisions about healthcare by 'preparing, maintaining, and promoting the accessibility of systematic reviews of the effects of healthcare interventions'.
  Cochrane systematic reviews bring together all the available evidence relating to a clearly formulated healthcare question for evaluation and synthesis, using predetermined criteria and explicit methods designed to limit bias.

• Driving After Stroke resources, one document for professionals (pdf) and one for patients/families (pdf), are available at www.heartandstroke.ca/profed. Once on the page, select "Ontario Stroke System," then "Professional Resources," then "Rehabilitation."

• Evidence-Based Review of Stroke Rehabilitation provides an up-to-date review of current evidence in stroke rehabilitation to facilitate best practices at the bedside and at home.

• Faast FAQs for Stroke Nurses (2007) 
  This New manual is designed for Nurses caring for stroke patients. It can be ordered from "order resources tab" and is available in French and English.
• Generation S: Young Stroke Survivors is a consumer site for young stroke survivors.

• Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada is a consumer site providing general information including: risk factors; prevention; treatment; survivor stories and more. There are numerous interactive quizzes relating to various aspects of stroke.
• Heart and Stroke Professional Website is a website dedicated to health care professionals working with stroke survivors. It includes resources from the Ontario Stroke System and the National Stroke Education resources. Many of the resources can be downloaded or ordered at no cost.

• Heart and Stroke Blood Pressure Action Plan is a confidential patient resource to assist patients in following through on lifestyle changes. This self-management tool was created to support health care providers. Your patients can access this tool in English or French at the Heart and Stroke website www.heartandstroke.ca/bp. In August 2007, the patient component of the Heart and Stroke Blood Pressure Action Plan will be launched enabling patients to track their progress on their goal(s).

• Hypertension Patient Flow Sheet (pdf) is an evidence-based flow sheet developed by HSFO to assist physicians in the ongoing management of patients with hypertension. You can find the flow sheet on the right hand side of the home page of the Section's website at http://www.sgfp.ca/ or go to the direct link http://www.sgfp.ca/pdf/HSFO%20Hypertension%20Flowsheet.pdf.

• Improving Recognition and Management of Dysphagia in Acute Stroke (2002)

• Internet Stroke Center is a non-profit, educational service of the Stroke Center at the Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Washington University Medical Center and the Cerebrovascular Diseases Section of the Department of Neurology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Designed for professionals and students, the Internet Stroke Center has assembled a neurology image library with hundred's of cases and thousands of CT, MR, and angiogram images. 

• Management of Acute Stroke (Binder) A manual to assist health professionals working in emergency and acute care provide optimal stroke care.

• Modifying the Home after Stroke (pdf)

• Multidisciplinary Learning Objectives(pdf)
• Health Nexus: Formally Ontario Prevention Clearinghouse Ontario's leading health promotion organization.
• Pembroke Transfer Protocol Poster (pdf)

• REPS
  A Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario and University of Toronto project to develop a curriculum for nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists.

• RNAO Best Practice Guidelines: The following two guidelines have been developed and are available through the RNAO at a cost, of free of charge as a downloaded item on the RNAO website.
  1. Nursing Management of Hypertension
  2. Stroke Assessment across the Continuum of Care

• Self Management Tool Kit: A resrouce for helth care providers.
• Stroke Pocket Cards The following FREE stroke pocket cards are available to order through the Heart and Stroke Inventory 416-489-7111 x389.
  1. Types of Stroke
  2. Common Signs and Symptoms/Cranial Nerve Function
  3. Functions of the Brain
  4. NIHSS

• This Stroke Prevention Card was developed as a risk stratification tool in collaboration with Boeringer, Heart and Stroke Foundation and Canadian Stroke Network to assist practitioners in the management of patients at high risk of recurrent stroke.  You can download the pdf documents in French or English below or order copies of the card by emailing  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or calling (416) 489-7111 ext. 389.  Use the following product codes: PE-CARD106-F07 (English) (pdf) and PE-CARD206-F07 (French) (pdf).

• Stroke Rehabilitation Evidence-Based Review

• Stroke TIA - Primary/Secondary Prevention On-line Module was developed through a collaboration between the Ontario College of Family Physicians, the Foundation of Medical Practice Education and the Division of eLearning Innovation, McMaster University. This on-line module is designed to bring family physicians a ‘learn on demand' opportunity and offers practical and evidence-based education on key topics related to the primary and secondary prevention of stroke.

• Tips and Tools for Every Day Living: A Guide for Stroke Caregivers (Binder)

• Tips and Tools for Everyday Living: A Guide for Stroke Caregivers: Putting It into Practice (Videos)
  Six education videos have been developed by stroke care champions in Southeastern Ontario. These videos are designed to complement sections of the Tips and Tools for Everyday Living: A Guide for Stroke Caregivers (2002) and education programs. Five of these videos are designed for front line staff and one has been developed for family and community education.
• Young Carers and Caregivers- Children as Caregivers (professional and carer version) A series of three facts sheets for families dealing with stroke in the community. See "stroke care resources" tab, then commnity re-engagement.

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES

1. Canadian Hypertension Education Program (CHEP). 2006 Canadian Hypertension Education Program Recommendations. http://www.hypertension.ca/.
2. Canadian Stroke Strategy and Heart and Stroke Foundation Canada. Canadian Best Practice Recommendations for Stroke Care 2006. (Publication No. November 2006). Retrieved from http://www.canadianstrokestrategy.ca/.
3. Gladstone DJ, Kapral MK, Fang J, Laupacis A, Tu JV. Management and outcomes of transient ischemic attacks in Ontario. CMAJ. 2004 Mar 30;170(7):1099-104.
4. Greenlund, K. PhD; Giles, W. MD; Keenan, N. PhD; Croft, J. PhD, Mensah, G. MD. Physician Advice, Patient Actions, and Health-Related Quality of Life in Secondary Prevention of Stroke Through Diet and Exercise. Stroke. 2002:33,565.)
5. Kaplan RC. Treatment of hypertension to prevent stroke: translating evidence into clinical practice. J Clin Hypertens 2001;3:153-156.
6. Padwal R. et al. Applying the 2005 Canadian Hypertension Education Program recommendations: 3. Lifestyle modifications to prevent and treat hypertension CMAJ 2005;173(7):749-75.