“Getting to the stroke unit made all the difference- I knew I could relax a bit knowing [family member] was well cared for.”
A person who experiences a stroke is more likely to survive, recover, and return home when early stroke care is provided by a specialized team in an Acute Stroke Unit. Ontario Health - CorHealth Ontario has been leading a provincial project on Stroke Unit Care. An Ontario Stroke Unit Definition was released in June 2023 outlining ten key components of acute stroke unit care. Each of the 46 Ontario stroke unit teams was asked to rate themselves against these components. The Brockville, Kingston, and Belleville stroke units each submitted self-assessments in the fall. OH-CorHealth has been reviewing the provincial results and will be organizing regional sessions in the coming months to discuss the findings.
The assessment results will help to inform our ongoing planning and Regional Stroke Workplan activity. Regional strengths include stroke care training, attention to upgrading stroke expertise; local stroke care pathways; measurement, monitoring, and reporting; as well as patient and family caregiver education. Common challenges include high patient to staff ratios and limited interprofessional team availability seven days a week. The assessments provide a basis to better understand the current state and the support needed to plan and implement improvements. We look forward to working together to continue delivering high standards of stroke unit care in our region.