A Psychological Intervention Program for Patients with Cerebral Infarction

INTRODUCTION: Cerebral infarction is one of the most common cerebrovascular diseases. The sequelae caused by cerebral infarction, including limb paralysis, crooked mouth corners, language barriers, etc., seriously affect the patient's physical and mental health and enthusiasm for rehabilitation training. Therefore, psychological intervention has important positive significance for the rehabilitation and nursing of patients with cerebral infarction. METHODS: This is a single-blind controlled study. 168 patients with cerebral infarction who met the inclusion criteria and visited our hospital from January 2018 to January 2020 were randomly divided into a control group (n = 84) and an intervention group (n = 84). The patients in the intervention group received an additional 3-month psychological treatment on the basis of the patients in the control group. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), Activities of Daily Living (ADL) scale, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) were measured before and after the psychological intervention. RESULTS: The 3-month psychological intervention we designed significantly reduced the NIHSS and HAMD scores of patients with cerebral infarction compared with traditional rehabilitation care for cerebral infarction, implying that our psychological intervention courses can improve patients' cognitive function and suppress patients' depression. Consistently, our psychological intervention also significantly improved ADL and MMSE scores 3 months after the onset of cerebral infarction patients, implying that this psychological intervention helped patients recover their daily functions relative to conventional care. CONCLUSION: Psychological intervention can be used as an adjunct therapy in the treatment and nursing of patients with cerebral infarction.