Best practice in management of patients with acute stroke.

The management of the patient with acute stroke is very complex and covers all aspects from acute intervention to ensuring a dignified and pain-free death. Stroke has an increasing profile and with the proposed NICE paper on best practice due out in the next 18 months, the focus will be on the effective running of stroke units and the skills of nurses who work in them. It is essential that nurses keep up to date with developments and know how to provide the best, evidence-based care.