On November 22, 2023- the Stroke Network held a local engagement and education session with physicians and other primary care providers in the Brockville area. The goal of this event was to share information about primary and secondary stroke prevention, and to host a discussion about challenges and opportunities that exist specific to Leeds and Grenville counties
Best Practice News
“Getting to the stroke unit made all the difference- I knew I could relax a bit knowing [family member] was well cared for.”
A person who experiences a stroke is more likely to survive, recover, and return home when early stroke care is provided by a specialized team in an Acute Stroke Unit. Ontario Health - CorHealth Ontario has been leading a provincial project on Stroke Unit Care. An Ontario Stroke Unit Definition was released in June 2023 outlining ten key components of acute stroke unit care.
Quinte Health's stroke program has achieved the prestigious Distinction in Stroke Services, Acute and Inpatient Stroke Rehabilitation, through Accreditation Canada. This remarkable recognition showcases the team’s national leadership and unwavering dedication to delivering exceptional stroke care.
Check out the updated Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations for Acute Care. Stroke team discussions across the South East are already underway about potential changes with our current clinical hyperacute and acute stroke processes. One recent change at the KHSC-KGH site was the implementation of tenecteplase (TNK) instead of alteplase (tPA) for eligible patients with acute ischemic stroke. Use of TNK as an alternative for IV thrombolysis was launched on September 1st. The team described the change as “fairly seamless” and “going well.”
Good news was received from Accreditation Canada on January 20th: for the fourth time, Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) achieved the National Stroke Distinction Award for Acute Stroke Services! KHSC was commended for its many strengths in the delivery of stroke care and prevention, including strong leadership support and a strong dedicated and knowledgeable interprofessional team providing the best care for patients.
An Ontario Secondary Stroke Prevention Task Group has been gathering and developing resources to further support Stroke Prevention Clinic (SPC) efforts to implement the Ontario SPC Core Elements. The group reviewed the SPCs’ Core Elements self-assessment summary to look for unaddressed gaps and listed them in a 2020 survey circulated to SPCs across Ontario.
The Primary Care and Stroke Prevention Clinic CME held virtually February 16th 2022 was well-received with 71 health care providers attending from across Southeastern Ontario. Participants learned more about current stroke prevention best practices, stroke prevention medications, and stroke risk factors such as cancer and recreational drug use.
"As a stroke survivor with firsthand knowledge of some of the unique pieces of the puzzle that are needed to help us, it was deeply fulfilling to collaborate on and lend perspective to some of the tools available to assist with navigating the numerous resources out there.
A collaborative event about the Deseronto Indigenous Blood Pressure (BP) Screening Model was held virtually in November 2020 with the following main objectives:Learn about a culturally sensitive approach to community-based blood pressure screeningGather input to initiate an action plan for Indigenous blood pressure screening with the Indigenous Interprofessional Primary Care Team (IIPCT) who is primarily located in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory and serves Indigenous communities across the south eastThe Indigenous BP Learning and Sharing Event was led by Kathy Brant and Maureen Buchanan, the I
The Basic Life Support Patient Care Standards for paramedics in Ontario recently added the Los Angeles Motor Scale (LAMS) as a secondary screen in their Acute Stroke Bypass Protocol. Paramedics are now using the LAMS as their large vessel occlusion (LVO) screen for potential Endovascular Thrombectomy (EVT) candidacy.