Organization of stroke services in the hospital and the community
Kennedy J., Buchan AM., Sandler DL.
© 2005 by Marcel Dekker. All Rights Reserved. Stroke medicine is an evolving specialty driven in part by the identification of effective emergent therapies as well as the realization that organized stroke care results in reduced patient mortality and morbidity. The publication of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) trial demonstrated the benefit of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), which has changed the outlook for eligible stroke patients and provided the opportunity for change in general acute stroke care [1]. Acute stroke services employing these therapies are now required to be time sensitive [2], which in turn means there is a need to develop seamless patient care from the point of onset to discharge.