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EDs notified of incoming stroke patients only 67% of the time

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted July 23, 2012

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Emergency medical services fail to notify emergency departments of incoming stroke patients a third of the time, according to a study published in the August issue of the Journal of the American Heart Association. Notifying the ED in advance has been shown to improve timely delivery of stroke care such as imaging and clot-busting drugs and is recommended under national guidelines established by the American Heart Assn. and other organizations.

Researchers examined the records of more than 370,000 acute ischemic stroke patients transported by EMS to 1,585 hospitals participating in a national stroke care quality improvement program between 2003 and 2011. There were large performance variations by hospital and state, said the study (link).

The rate of EMS stroke prenotification was measured at 58% in a 2003 study, the AHA said.

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2012/07/23/prbf0723.htm.

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