Stroke Is Not an Accident: An Integrative Review on the Use of the Term Cerebrovascular Accident.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Cerebrovascular accident (CVA) is an outdated term for describing stroke as it implies stroke is an accident. We conducted an integrative review to examine the use of CVA in terms of (1) frequency in major medical journals over time; (2) associated publication characteristics (e.g., number of authors, senior author country, topic); and (3) frequency in medical records.

Methods

We searched Google Scholar for publications in leading neurology and vascular journals (Quartile 1) across two 5-year periods (1998-2002 and 2018-2022) using the terms "cerebrovascular accident" or "CVA." Two reviewers independently reviewed full-text publications and recorded the frequency of CVA use. Rates of use (per 1,000 articles/year) were calculated for each journal and time period. A

SUBMITTER: Kilkenny M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12500251 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature