Improving In-Hospital Stroke Response: A Team-based Quality Improvement Program
A National Stroke Association Pilot Program
In-Hospital Stroke Facts
- Mortality is two to three times higher for in-hospital strokes.
- Studies consistently demonstrate greater in-hospital delays on evaluation for stroke with onset in the hospital; only 15 percent of in-hospital strokes are evaluated by a physician within 3 hours of symptoms.
- In-hospital stroke patients are half as likely to return home.
The Program
National Stroke Association has selected seven Stroke Center Network™ member hospitals to participate in the 18-month pilot program that includes a multi-tiered approach to educating hospital staff on the issues surrounding in-hospital stroke.
The program aims to improve hospital processes, reduce time-to-treatment and improve patient outcomes for in-hospital stroke. Despite the availability of on-site hospital resources, it’s been reported that between 4 and 17 percent (31,000 to 134,000) of strokes each year occur in patients who are already in the hospital for other reasons.
Additionally, researchers have found that times-to-treatment for in-hospital strokes can be significantly longer compared with strokes that occur outside of the hospital. Unfortunately, patient morbidity and mortality are also worse for in-hospital strokes.
Through multiple accredited educational tactics, including grand rounds, Lunch-n-Learn’s and Web resources, the program will provide hospital teams with strategies, tools and support to improve patient care and raise awareness of in-hospital stroke.
Program Components
National Stroke Association is taking a multi-tiered approach to educating hospital staff on the issues surrounding in-hospital stroke:
| Optimizing Our Response to In-Hospital Stroke Grand Rounds This grand rounds series, developed by experts Ethan Cumbler, MD, and Soojin Park, MD, takes a case-based approach in educating hospital staff on the impact of in-hospital stroke, the causes of and where in the hospital they most likely occur and current treatment options. |
| Non-medical Staff Lunch-n-Learn Activities Stroke center staff can educate the entire hospital staff on the signs and symptoms of stroke and what protocols the hospital has in place when signaling a stroke alert. |
| Improving In-Hospital Stroke through QI Interventions Webinar Learn how quality processes have improved in-hospital stroke care metrics and about successful intervention models, tools, and processes that they can apply in their respective situations. |
| In-Hospital Stroke Resource Center Access recent peer-reviewed articles, presentations and tools hospitals can use to enhance their own quality improvement project. |
| Peer coaching Allows participating pilot sites the opportunity to learn from colleagues nationwide about successes and challenges in conducting the quality improvement project. |
The educational program is sponsored by an educational grant from Genentech, Inc. and support from Penumbra, Inc.
