An innovative, multidisciplinary, process-driven approach to acute stroke in a community health system network

Stroke is one of the major causes of death and disability in the United States, yet it is undertreated by many major medical centers across the country. Timely recognition and treatment of acute ischemic stroke remains a challenge due to confusing clinical presentations, hospital logistics, communication barriers among providers, and lack of standardized treatment algorithms. By creating a system-wide Code Stroke protocol, St. John Providence Health System improved documentation, increased intravenous tissue plasminogen activator delivery, reduced specialist call-back times, improved door-to-computer tomography scan and door-to-needle time, and identified appropriate patients for endovascular therapy.