What Type of Health Care Professionals Should Take Part in a Stroke Service or Unit?
The answer to this question depends upon the organization type of the stroke unit and service and upon the acuity of the stroke syndrome. In the emergency room, the emergency physician, the neurologist and the neuroradiologist may play an important role [Schweikert et al., 1996]. After the acute phase of treatment, a core stroke team should include a physician, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and social workers. Because stroke patients have a broad range of problems, their care demands input from several disciplines. Depending upon problems, further specialities may be consulted such as: clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, neurosurgeons, vascular surgeons, radiologists, rheumatologists, orthopedic surgeons, ophthalmologists, dieticians, dentists and pharmacists [Warlow et al., 1996]. A focus on neurological knowledge is evident. Therefore, the medical staff should in our opinion include a neurologist as being the responsible or consulting physic
