"Stroke Nav": a wireless data collection and review system to support stroke care delivery

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Clinical Systems Engineering
• Neurology

Background:

• Stroke patient care involves complex, multi-setting pathways.
• Effective data collection and communication are crucial for optimal stroke management.
• Existing systems may not adequately support real-time data integration and review.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate "Stroke Nav," a novel web-based system for stroke patient care.
• To assess the system's impact on data collection, review, and clinical performance metrics.
• To demonstrate the system's utility in improving multidisciplinary communication and patient safety.

Main Methods:

• Development of a collaborative, web-based software system by clinicians and engineers.
• Implementation of near-real-time data collection tools for clinicians.
• Integration of graphical dashboards for data review and performance metric visualization.
• Accessibility via hospital intranet on various devices.

Main Results:

• Stroke Nav is in routine use at two hospitals, supporting over 1400 patients.
• The system facilitates accurate, near-real-time data collection across complex care settings.
• Benefits observed include improved multidisciplinary communication, knowledge management, patient safety, clinical audit, and service performance.

Conclusions:

• Stroke Nav is a functional and beneficial system for enhancing stroke patient care.
• The system's collaborative design and accessibility contribute to its successful implementation.
• Stroke Nav demonstrates potential for widespread adoption to improve stroke service delivery.