FAQs

General

• Entering SSNAP data during the COVID-19 period FAQs
• Who should start a SSNAP record?
• Who is responsible for signing off records?
• What records should be added onto SSNAP?
• When should a team end a record?
• Why can't I transfer a record between England/Wales and Northern Ireland?

See all 25 articles

Sections 1

• 1.5: What is the minimum age for eligible patients?
• 1.7: What postcode should I enter for overseas patients or those with no fixed abode?
• 1.9: How do I record a change of diagnosis?
• 1.9 Should a cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) stroke be included on SSNAP?
• 1.11: What onset time should be recorded if a patient has a stroke during sleep?
• 1.12.2 How to find the Computer-aided dispatch (CAD) number

See all 11 articles

Section 2

• 2.1: When should "no but" be answered for "was the patient on antiplatelet/anticoagulant medication prior to admission"?
• 2.3: What should be recorded as the patient’s NIHSS score on arrival if they are unconscious or comatose?
• 2.3 & 2.9: Will selecting “not known” for components of NIHSS affect the audit compliance level for my team?
• 2.4: If a patient is scanned as an outpatient and an infarct is detected but is not admitted to hospital until a later date (eg 24 hours or 48 hours later) what should be entered for arrival and scanning date/time?
• 2.4: What happens when a stroke patient has a brain scan at a hospital and is then immediately transferred to another hospital?
• 2.9: What NIHSS score should I enter for ‘What was the patient’s NIHSS score at 24 hours after thrombolysis?’ if the patient died within 24 hours after receiving thrombolysis?

Section 3

• 3.1: How should I record a patient who was for palliative care in the first 72 hours but whom then recovers?
• 3.1: If a patient is palliative prior to their stroke, should the patient be indicated as for palliative care?
• 3.3: If a patient was first assessed by a stroke specialist consultant physician through telemedicine, does this count?
• 3.3: Definition of a stroke specialist consultant
• 3.4: What is the most accurate way to reflect the pathway of a stroke patient who initially passed a swallow screen but then goes on to develop problems after 72hrs?
• Section 3: A patient arrives with no relevant deficit for the first 72 hours and so does not require any therapy, but then subsequently requires input. How should I record this?

Section 4

• 4.6: Is the total number of therapy minutes that a patient received during their stay the amount of therapy they received while in the care of my team or across their stroke pathway?
• 4.7: Can rehabilitation goals be agreed without the direct involvement of the patient?

Section 5

• 5.3: How do you answer Q5.3 for COVID-19 stroke patients with pneumonia

Section 6

• 6.6: If a patient is screened and not identified as high risk of malnutrition, but are screened again due to their condition deteriorating, and are then identified as at risk of malnutrition, what screening results should be entered onto SSNAP?
• 6.6: What happens when a patient is identified as high risk of malnutrition but after a swallow assessment is no longer considered at risk?
• 6.7: If the patient is already under the care of a psychologist or the patient already has a diagnosis of depression, does the mood screen need to be carried out?
• 6.7 & 6.8: Why is "no deficit" not an option for "Date patient screened for mood using a validated tool" and "Date patient screened for cognition using a simple standardised measure"?
• 6.8: Is there an assessment for cognition using a standardised assessment for patients with language difficulties, non-English speakers or aphasia?
• Section 6: If a patient has severe aphasia or a communication impairment can 'medically unwell' be chosen for Q6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.7 & 6.8?

Section 7

• 7.1: What should I choose in the discharge section if a patient is discharged to their own home or a care home but is being provided care/therapy by a community-based team?
• 7.1: When is it appropriate to discharge to 'somewhere else'?
• 7.4: Should the modified Rankin Scale score be solely related to disability resulting from stroke or include general level of disability?
• 7.4: What should be entered if there is not an up to date Modified Rankin Scale (MRS) score on discharge available?
• 7.9: What do you answer if the patient has been discharged to a care home where they are receiving 24/7 care?
• 7.9: If social services have allocated a personalised support budget to a patient can these visits be included in 7.9.2?

Section 8

• 8.1: Should "No" be entered for all patients if a service does not provide six month assessments for patients or can this be left unanswered?
• 8.1: If a patient suffers another stroke before their 6 month assessment is due, which stroke record on SSNAP should the 6 month assessment information be entered for?