Background:
A recent national push for optimizing stroke center performance led by the efforts of AHA/ASA to recognize high performers with the Target Stroke Honor Roll recognition have focused on achieving expedited treatment for stroke with door-to-needle (DTN) time of ≤60 minutes.Our organization recognized the need to optimize our performance and set an initial goal of achieving DTN time of ≤60 minutes in greater than 50% of our patients. The Target Stroke Initiative by the AHA/ASA identified 10 key strategies for best practice associated with reducing DTN times. Our organization adopted and implemented all of these strategies over a 30-day period.
Methods:
The Target Stroke best practice strategies were implemented over a 30-day period, and the Stroke Team worked collaboratively to identify other weaknesses needing to be addressed. DTN times ≤60 minutes from the 12 months prior to process improvement implementation were compared with the first 2 months post implementation.
Results:
There were 345 ischemic stroke patients treated at our facility during the 12 month period prior to the process implementation, with a total of 14 patients (1.12 per month) treated with tPA. The percentage of patients treated with tPA was 4%, and the percentage of patients treated with DTN ≤60 minutes was 0%. Over the two months following process implementation, 68 ischemic stroke patients were treated at our facility, with 11 patients treated with tPA (5.5 per month). The percentage of stroke patients treated with tPA was 16%, with 70% of patients treated with DTN ≤60 minutes.
Conclusion:
This study serves as confirmation that collaboration and implementation of the 10 key strategies for best practice as outlined by the Target Stroke Initiative, coupled with changes to identified areas of weakness, can improve and expedite the care of patients with acute ischemic stroke. This can substantially improve DTN times, as well as the overall number and percentage of patients that receive thrombolysis with a hopeful impact on their outcome as well as Target Stroke Honor Roll recognition for the facility. In conclusion, we recommend implementation of these best practice strategies to other facilities.