Stroke

UK sources of information and / or support

 The leaflets section of Patient UK

Includes a leaflet called Stroke.

 Stroke Association

For people suffering from a stroke and their carers.

 Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland

Provide an Advice line service for people in Scotland. Their website also has various booklets, audio tapes, videos and factsheets - including booklets and videos on stroke.

 Northern Ireland Chest, Heart and Stroke Association

Exists to prevent and alleviate chest, heart and stroke illnesses in Northern Ireland.

 Different Strokes

A national charity set up to support younger strokesurvivors. Its services include a regional network of exercise classes,practical information packs, a telephone helpline, and website interactivemessage board.

 National Stroke Strategy

This national strategy is intended to provide a quality framework to secure improvements to stroke services, to provide guidance and support to commissioners and strategic health authorities and social care, and inform the expectations of patients and their families by providing a guide to high quality health/social care services.

 Care after stroke and transient ischaemic attack

Information for patients and their carers. Based on the national Clinical Guidelines for Strokes by the Royal College of Physicians.

 Heart & Stroke Information Point

Provides reliable, up to date information for patients and carers affected by heart disease and/or stroke conditions. The project is funded by The Big Lottery and is being undertaken by NHS Tayside in conjunction with the University of Dundee. The website has been developed in partnership with patient, carer and healthcare professional groups across Tayside and they also work with national organisations including Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland. The website provides general information about heart disease and stroke conditions and also localised information about support groups in the Tayside area.

 Ischaemic stroke (acute) - alteplase

A patient guide to complement the NICE national guideline for health professionals called Ischaemic stroke (acute) - alteplase.

 Air Pollution and Stroke: Is a Causative Association Plausible?

From the 'Behind the Medical Headlines' website developed to provide authoritative and independent expert commentaries on topical medical matters reported in the international media. Produced by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow.

 Connect: the Communication Disability Network

Connect's vision is a world where people with aphasia (communication disability) can find opportunity and fulfilment. They work to promote effective services, new opportunities and a better quality of life for people living with aphasia. They deliver training and publish resources for health professionals to help them improve and develop their stroke service. They publish publications and organise events for people with aphasia and their relatives.

 Sequal Trust

Fundraises on behalf of its members to provide a communication aid, which can be in the form of a specialised computer system, voice synthesiser to relay pre-recorded messages, and many other items of communication equipment.

 Brain and Spine Foundation

Have very good information booklets which you can download, including one called 'Stroke'.

 EffectiveStrokeCare.org

An evidence-based website devoted to providing professionals with easy access to summarised evidence statements of best practice in stroke care. Website mainly aimed at professionals, but of interest to all.

 BodyTalk-Online

Website with audio tapes which you can hear online. Doctor Hilary Jones explains a wide range of medical conditions, including stroke, in easy to understand terms. You can hear Hilary explaining the condition to you, and because it is broken down into shorter sections, you can listen again to any part you didn't quite understand.

 Moving forward

Committed to improving the management and treatment of spasticity. To fulfil this mission, Moving Forward builds public support for better care through awareness and campaigning, and develops information resources for both patients and health professionals.

  DIPEx

DIPEx (Database of Individual Patient Experiences) is an Oxford based registered charity. It is a database of audio, video and transcript of interviews with patients experiencing a particular illness or health problem. Includes a module on stroke.

 Stroke - Department of Health

Policy and guidance regarding stroke from The Department of Health.

 Percutaneous closure of the patent foramen ovale for the prevention of cerebral embolic stroke

A patient guide to complement the NICE national guideline for health professionals called Percutaneous closure of the patent foramen ovale for the prevention of cerebral embolic stroke.

Further sources / more detailed information

Some non-UK sites

The following list popular non-UK health information sites with content aimed at the general public. They are mainly from the US. They have not been checked to see if information about the above topic is included but these large sites are comprehensive.

• Non-UK disease / illness sites
• Non-UK self-help / support group sites

More detailed medical information

The following list online sources of more detailed medical information, mainly from the UK. These sites are mainly aimed at health professionals, but are of interest to all. They have not been checked to see if information about the above topic is included, but information about most medical topics can usually be found.

• PatientPlus - hundreds of medical reference articles provided by Patient UK.
• Evidence Based Medicine - such as from Clinical Evidence, The Cochrane Library, etc.
• Database of UK Clinical Guidelines - from NICE, SIGN, Clinical Knowledge Summaries, etc.
• Medline - abstracts available from thousands of journals.
• Sites listing free online medical textbooks and journals.
• Sites listing free medical images - pictures, atlases, anatomy, skin diseases, etc.