Author Interviews, CMAJ, Stroke / 25.10.2014
How Good Is Stroke Care in Canada?
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Michael Douglas Hill, MD, MSc
The Calgary Stroke Program, Department of Clinical Neurosciences
Hotchkiss Brain Institute
Associate Professor, University of Calgary
Calgary, Alta
MedicalResearch: What is the background for this study?
Dr. Hill: We conducted an audit of stroke admissions to Canadian hospitals in all provinces. We examined key metrics of quality stroke care focusing on the acute treatment.
Use of thrombolysis for stroke is a key quality metric in the Accreditation Canada standards for stroke care. We found that the use of thrombolysis, while better than the past review (CMAJ. 2005 May 10;172(10):1307-12) remains low. This is a marker for the overall quality of acute stroke care in Canada. As expected, larger academic hospitals perform at a higher level than smaller community hospitals.
Overall, this study serves to quantify the gaps in the delivery of acute stroke care to Canadians.
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