User Guide (by a user!)
Created by: Alma Fleming, Physiotherapist, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh.
What is EffectiveStrokeCare.org?
A database of evidence to help provide quick and easy access to questions about the effectiveness of interventions for stroke patients and their carers and about the best organisation of stroke services.
It is free to access and requires no registration or special training.
How to browse the evidence?
There are 3 sections (on the left side of the screen) whereby you may browse the evidence depending on the area of stroke management you are interested in:
- Patients – focuses on optimising outcomes after stroke.
- Caregivers – focuses on carers involvement in care post stroke.
- Services – focuses on the organisation and delivery of stroke care.
Once the section of choice is clicked on several TOPICS will appear on the screen:
Each TOPIC will have a list of QUESTIONS relating to the effectiveness of interventions.
If you click on a QUESTION, a list of INTERVENTIONS will appear each with a clear statement of the evidence found.
TOPICS, QUESTIONS and INTERVENTIONS will be displayed as a ‘tree view’ or flow diagram.
The idea is to click onto the relevant topic and questions/interventions which follow to reveal the level of current up to date evidence to your query. Alternatively you can avail of the search facility which is located to the left of your screen to go straight to your question of interest.
Browsing example
The use of AFO's to improve stability / gait:
- Go to the 'Browse Evidence' section on the left hand side of the screen.
- Select 'Patients'.
- Select the TOPIC 'Managing Common Problems'
- Expand the TOPIC 'Balance' by clicking on the '+'.
- Expand it again (in this case) by clicking on the '+'.
- Now you have a list of QUESTIONS and have two ways of proceeding to the INTERVENTIONS.
- Either click on the '+' or on the 'text' of the QUESTION.
- It is best to click on the 'text' which goes to the categorised INTERVENTIONS.
- This reveals AFO’s as “Unknown Effectiveness”.
- Further information (the 'Evidence Statement') on AFO’s can be obtained by clicking on it.
- If it is available, you will find summary information of the current best evidence, the references used, and direct links to clinical guidelines (which open at relevant page).
- To print or save a whole 'Evidence Statement' click on the pdf icon (the pop-up blocker on your browser must be turned off) and it will be converted into a pdf file.
It seems hard at first but very quickly becomes easy to use.