Stroke

UK sources of information and / or support

 Patient UK

Has an information leaflet on 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.

 Stroke: Act F.A.S.T. awareness campaign

From the Department of Health - The Stroke: Act F.A.S.T. awareness campaign aims to educate healthcare professionals and the public on the signs of stroke and that prompt emergency treatment can reduce the risk of death and disability. It encourages people to recognise the signs of stroke and feel confident to phone 999 for an ambulance on detecting any single one of them

 Stroke - don't let it happen to you!

Health Challenge Wales provides a wide range of information including one in this area.

 Chronic Pain after Stroke (Central Post-stroke Pain)

Information from Pain Relief Foundation.

 Care after stroke or transient ischaemic attack (patient booklet)

To coincide with the release of the new guidelines on stroke published in 2008 from the Royal College of Physicians.

 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.

 Transient Ischaemic Attack or Mini-Stroke

Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust provide a wide range of patient information leaflets including one in this area.

 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.

 Stroke Information Plus

Stroke Information Plus is for stroke survivors, their carers and families, and interested members of the public.

 Ischaemic stroke (acute) - alteplase

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

 Stroke

A patient guide to complement the NICE national guideline for health professionals called Stroke.

  Stroke Assessment Booklet for Patients

A patient guide to complement the SIGN national guideline for health professionals.

 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'.

 Behind the Gray

Behind the Gray's aim is to offer friendship, support and a place where you can share your highs and lows.

 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.

 Medicine Guide for Stroke

Medicine Guides provide reliable information about medicines (drugs), conditions and the different treatment options available. They have been developed in the UK as part of the Medicines Information Project.

  Stroke

Healthtalkonline, is an award-winning charity website, which lets you share in other people's experiences of health and illness. The information is based on qualitative research into patient experiences led by experts at the University of Oxford.

 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.

 Functional Electrical Stimulation for Drop Foot of Central Neurological Origin

A patient guide to complement the NICE national guideline for health professionals called Functional Electrical Stimulation for Drop Foot of Central Neurological Origin.

 Haemorrhagic stroke

Information from BUPA.

 Ischaemic stroke

Information from BUPA.

 Stroke

Information from BUPA.

 Stroke

Information from NHS Choices - the government's patient information portal.

 Stroke related eye conditions

Information from the RNIB

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.