Can telemedicine contribute to fulfill WHO Helsingborg Declaration of specialized stroke care?

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Providing stroke unit treatment for all stroke patients is a cross-national goal as stated in the WHO Helsingborg Declaration. In order to achieve specialized stroke care for a large area, two stroke centers and 12 community hospitals established an integrative stroke network. This evaluation was performed to analyze achieved advances in stroke management.

METHODS:

Core network elements are: (1) establishing stroke wards in all hospitals; (2) continuous training in stroke treatment; (3) telemedicine service staffed by a 24 h/day 'strokologist' with capability for high-speed videoconferencing and transfer of CT/MRI images. Data were prospectively documented in the databank of the telestroke service, in the Bavarian Stroke Registry and in the controlling departments.

RESULTS:

In 2003, 4,179 stroke patients were admitted to the regional network hospitals. Between February 2003 and January 2004 a total of 2,182 teleconsultations were conducted. 250 teleconsultations yielded a nonvascular diagnosis. Indicators for stroke management quality improved compared with other hospitals without stroke unit: the frequency of CT/MRI within 3 h was 59% compared to 46%, frequency of speech therapy 36% (21%), and of occupational therapy 38% (12%). Eighty-six (2.1%) of the patients received systemic thrombolysis compared to 10 patients in the preceding year. Mean length of in-hospital stay decreased from 12.4 in 2002 to 9.7 days in 2003.

CONCLUSIONS:

This stroke network concept leads to a substantial improvement of stroke management. Telemedicine contributes to an early etiological assessment and fills the gap of specialized stroke expertise in neurologically underserved areas.

• Authors: Heinrich J Audebert, Martin L J Wimmer, Raymund Hahn, Johannes Schenkel, Ulrich Bogdahn, Markus Horn, Roman L Haberl, TEMPIS Group
• Journal: Cerebrovascular diseases (Basel, Switzerland) (Cerebrovasc Dis) Vol. 20 Issue 5 Pg. 362-9 ( 2005) ISSN: 1015-9770 [Print] Switzerland
• PMID: 16141717 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Multicenter Study)
• Copyright: Copyright 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Topics

• Acute Disease
• Germany
• Hospitals, Community (organization & administration)
• Humans
• Ischemic Attack, Transient (therapy)
• Neurology (organization & administration)
• Patient Transfer
• Pilot Projects
• Program Evaluation
• Quality of Health Care
• Registries
• Stroke (diagnosis, therapy)
• Telemedicine (organization & administration, standards)
• Videoconferencing (organization & administration, standards)
• World Health Organization