Stoke center
The Department of Health designates Stroke Centers statewide to improve the standard of quality and access to care for patients with a presumptive diagnosis of stroke. The SLR Stroke Center has been established for the purpose of monitoring the care delivered to stroke patients, improving the quality of care and moving patients through the initial acute-care phase of their hospital stay in a timely fashion.
SLR has met the following standards to achieve its stroke center designation:
- Written procedures have been established and tested to rapidly activate the Acute Stroke Team so that team members are at the patient’s bedside within 15 minutes of being notified.
- The Acute Stroke Team is staffed by qualified health care professionals including at a minimum the following:
- A board-certified or board-qualified physician with special competence incaring for the acute stroke patient;
- Another health care provider who has experience caring for the acute strokepatient, such as a registered nurse, physician’s assistant or nurse practitioner.
- A stroke team has been established and is operational in the emergency department(ED) with coordinated services for the effective delivery of emergency and acute stroke care treatment, in cooperation with the emergency medical services (EMS).
- The criteria has been developed for activating the team to care for potentially eligible tPA candidates.
- The hospital has the ability on a 24hour/day 7 days/week basis to perform brain computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and provide interpretation after study completion by a physician with experience in acute stroke neuroimaging consistent with time targets acceptable to the department.
**Recommended stroke evaluation targets:
• Door to MD evaluation: 10 minutes
• Door to stroke team contact: 15 minutes
• Door to CT: 25 minutes
• Door to CT interpretation: 45 minutes
• Door to Rx treatment: 60 minutes
** National Institute of Neurological Disorders and
Stroke (NINDS)
Patients presenting to the SLR EDs with a chief complaint consistent with a stroke are immediately brought to the treatment area where they have an evaluation by a physician immediately. If a stroke is identified the Stroke) team is activated. The patient is immediately brought to CT scan and a neuroradiolgist and neurologist come to evaluate the patient and the CT scan. As soon as the clinical criteria are met TPA is ordered and administered. This team approach assures the optimal outcome for our patients.
