Feasibility of Certified Quality Management in a Comprehensive Stroke Care Network Using Telemedicine: STENO Project

Telestroke networks for area-wide access to endovascular stroke treatment

BACKGROUND

Endovascular therapy (EVT) offers a highly effective therapy for patients with acute ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion. Comprehensive stroke centers (CSC) are required to provide permanent accessibility to EVT. However, when affected patients are not located in the immediate catchment area of a CSC, i.e. in rural or structurally weaker areas, access to EVT is not always ensured.

MAIN BODY

Telestroke networks play a crucial role in closing this healthcare coverage gap and thereby support specialized stroke treatment. The aim of this narrative review is to elaborate the concepts for the indication and transfer of EVT candidates via telestroke networks in acute stroke care. The targeted readership includes both comprehensive stroke centers and peripheral hospitals. The review is intended to identify ways to design care beyond those areas with narrow access to stroke unit care to provide the indicated highly effective acute therapies on a region-wide basis. Here, the two different models of care: "mothership" and "drip-and-ship" concerning rates of EVT and its complications as well as outcomes are compared. Decisively, forward-looking new model approaches such as a third model the "flying/driving interentionalists" are introduced and discussed, as far as few clinical trials have investigated these approaches. Diagnostic criteria used by the telestroke networks to enable appropriate patient selection for secondary intrahospital emergency transfers are displayed, which need to meet the criteria in terms of speed, quality and safety.

CONCLUSION

The few findings from the studies with telestroke networks are neutral for comparison in the drip-and-ship and mothership models. Supporting spoke centres through telestroke networks currently seems to be the best option for offering EVT to a population in structurally weaker regions without direct access to a CSC. Here, it is essential to map the individual reality of care depending on the regional circumstances.

Auditing the Audits: A Systematic Review on Different Procedures in Telemedicine

Telemedicine is a process of delivering health care using information and communication technologies. Audit and feedback (A&F) constitute a systematic intervention that is aimed at collecting data, which are subsequently compared with reference standards and then returned to health care operators through feedback meetings. The aim of this review is to analyse different audit procedures on and by mean of telemedicine services and to identify a practice that is more effective than the others. Systematic searches were performed in three databases evaluating studies focusing on clinical audits performed on and by means of telemedicine systems. Twenty-five studies were included in the review. Most of them focused on telecounselling services with an audit and a maximum duration of one year. Recipients of the audit were telemedicine systems and service users (general practitioners, referring doctors, and patients). Data resulting from the audit were inherent to the telemedicine service. The overall data collected concerned the number of teleconsultations, service activity, reasons for referral, response times, follow-up, reasons why treatment was not completed, technical issues, and other information specific to each telemedicine service. Only two of the considered studies dealt with organizational aspects, and of these, only one analysed communicative aspects. The complexity and heterogeneity of the treatments and services provided meant that no index of uniformity could be identified. Certainly, some audits were performed in an overlapping manner in the different studies, and these show that although attention is often paid to workers' opinions, needs, and issues, little interest was shown in communicative/organizational and team dynamics. Given the importance and influence that communication has in teamwork and care settings, an audit protocol that takes into account intra- and extra-team communication processes could be essential to improving the well-being of operators and the quality of the service provided.

Effect of implementing care protocols on acute ischemic stroke outcomes: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Implementing stroke care protocols has intended to provide better care quality, favor early functional recovery, and achieving long-term results for the rehabilitation of the patient.

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the effect of implementing care protocols on the outcomes of acute ischemic stroke.

METHODS

Primary studies published from 2011 to 2020 and which met the following criteria were included: population should be people with acute ischemic stroke; studies should present results on the outcomes of using protocols in the therapeutic approach to acute ischemic stroke. The bibliographic search was carried out in June 2020 in 7 databases. The article selection was conducted by two independent reviewers and the results were narratively synthesized.

RESULTS

A total of 11,226 publications were retrieved in the databases, of which 30 were included in the study. After implementing the protocol, 70.8% of the publications found an increase in the rate of performing reperfusion therapy, such as thrombolysis and thrombectomy; 45.5% identified an improvement in the clinical prognosis of the patient; and 25.0% of the studies identified a decrease in the length of hospital stay. Out of 19 studies that addressed the rate of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, 2 (10.5%) identified a decrease. A decrease in mortality was mentioned in 3 (25.0%) articles out of 12 that evaluated this outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

We have identified the importance of implementing protocols in increasing the performance of reperfusion therapies, and a good functional outcome with improved prognosis after discharge. However, there is still a need to invest in reducing post-thrombolysis complications and mortality.

Telestroke for the Treatment of Ischemic Stroke in Western China During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multicenter Observational Study

Background

Intravenous thrombolysis is still underutilized in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in China. A promising strategy for addressing this issue, especially in situations, such as the global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is the telestroke mode, which remains to be widely implemented in China. The present study aimed to assess the effects of telemedicine for patients with stroke in Western China, as well as the impact of the pandemic on telestroke services in 1 year after the COVID-19 outbreak.

Methods

In this 2-year multicenter observational study, we retrospectively collected data from 10 hospitals within the Sichuan Telestroke and Telethrombolysis Network. Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with IS and those relevant to thrombolysis were compared between the pre-telestroke and post-telestroke phases, and between the periods before and after declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results

A total of 11,449 admissions with a primary diagnosis of IS were recorded during the study period. Prior to telestroke implementation, 6.7% of patients (n = 367) received intravenous thrombolysis, and the proportion increased to 7.4% (n = 443; p = 0.084) in the post-telestroke phase. The thrombolysis rate was 7.4% during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the latter half of the year when the viral spread was better controlled in China. The mean door-to-needle time (DNT) was significantly shorter after implementation of the telestroke network (63.76 ± 13.50 vs. 52.66 ± 25.49 min; p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Telemedicine is effective in improving the thrombolysis administration among patients with IS in Western China. Implementation of the telestroke network should be promoted, especially when access to care is affected by public health emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Considerations for the Implementation of a Telestroke Network: A Systematic Review

The application of telestroke has matured considerably since its inception in 1999. The use of telestroke is now recommended in several published guidelines. Consequently, jurisdictions without a telestroke service are seeking practical information on the best approach to implement telestroke. French et al. (2013) reviewed the challenges of implementing a telestroke network including studies between 2000 and 2010. At the time, telestroke networks were largely limited to the UK, USA, Canada and Europe and only one process evaluation had been conducted. Given the prolific expansion of telestroke services since 2010, we conducted a systematic review to determine factors associated with successful establishment, management, and sustainability of a contemporary telestroke services. A comprehensive search of telestroke studies was conducted in July 2021. Empirical studies published between 2010 and 2021 were included if they contained descriptive, evaluation or operational data on the implementation of a telestroke network. Studies were subsequently evaluated using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). The initial literature search revealed a total of 7415 potential studies; 38 of which met the inclusion criteria. The past decade of process evaluation studies has enabled a more nuanced investigations into how to implement and sustain a telestroke network. Pre-implementation planning is crucial to ensure clear telestroke processes, governance structures and stakeholder engagement. Sustainability of networks relies on securing long-term investment, providing adequate resources, and maintaining staff motivation and willingness. Recommendations are provided to overcome commonly identified barriers related to technology, staffing, planning and standardisation of processes, evaluation, and sustainability and scale-up. Further research needs to explore how new advancements in stroke care such as endovascular clot retrieval (EVT) and advanced brain imaging can be considered and planned for during the implementation of a new telestroke service.

Current Practice of Neurosurgical Teleconsultation in Germany

OBJECTIVE

 As neurosurgery is a demanding specialty with services in larger medical centers only, consultation over larger distances plays an important role in health care. In times of digitalization, teleconsultation for medical images and cases plays an increasing role in neurosurgical services. However, no standards and demands have been established for its execution in the subfield of neurosurgery, so far. Therefore, as a first step, we performed a survey about the current state of teleconsultation in neurosurgery in Germany.

METHODS

 A standardized questionnaire consisting of 20 items was used to investigate the frequency of use and the operating conditions of teleconsultation in the field of neurosurgery. The survey was performed during the annual national German Society of Neurosurgery conference in 2017. Participation in the written survey was on voluntary and anonymous basis.

RESULTS

 In total, 296 individuals took part in the survey (140 specialists in neurosurgery, 77 residents). Among them, 71% were male and 121 worked at a university medical center. In total, 87.5% of all participants indicated that teleconsultation was used in their institutions (n = 113 in university medical centers and n = 76 in hospitals), and a vast majority stated to have had personal experience with it (88.6% of specialists, 85.5% of residents). The most frequent initial request for a consultation was done by phone call (80.3%). Images or data were then primarily transmitted via an electronic system (77.3%), followed by transmissions via CD or by post. The reply to a consultation was also mainly done by phone call (91.3%), followed by fax, or by e-mail. No standard protocol was followed by 78.6% of the respondents, and they stated not to know about the statutory and legal rules. However, it was stated that the protection of patient data was not endangered by using teleconsultation. The usefulness of teleconsultation and its future relevance were rated highly by the participants. The risk of misinterpretation of image data, especially without having direct access to other patient data, seemed to be a critical and unequivocal challenge.

CONCLUSION

 The results of the survey demonstrate that teleconsultation for medical images and cases is a frequently used and well-accepted tool in neurosurgical health care. However, a standardized neurosurgical procedure is still lacking and the statutory rules for this field of digital medicine are generally not known in our community. Potential misinterpretation and resulting misjudgment seem to be realistic drawbacks. Thus, we see a necessity for elaboration of guidelines for teleconsultation in neurosurgery on national and European basis.

[Telemedicine projects in rural areas of Germany. A systematic evaluation with the "Model for Assessment of Telemedicine"]

BACKGROUND

The term telemedicine describes the delivery of healthcare services through the use of information and communication technologies in a situation where the actors are at different locations. While telemedical applications are piloted in research projects in Germany, they have rarely become part of everyday care. In order to find indications as to why the transfer of knowledge into practice has so far been slow, it is necessary to examine telemedical projects for aspects of implementation science.

METHODS

A systematic search looking for telemedical projects in Germany was conducted in the electronic databases PubMed, Web of Science and ACM Digital Library using a complex search strategy. The criteria and domains of the Model for Assessment of Telemedicine (MAST) were used to evaluate the publications.

RESULTS

A total of 336 publications were identified, 16 of which were ultimately included in the analysis. Much of the work deals with stroke and the implementation of telemedicine networks. The analysis according to MAST shows that most publications omit essential considerations.

CONCLUSION

Publications on telemedical projects are often characterized by unsystematic approaches. The MAST instrument identifies areas where the approaches to telemedical projects could be extended in the future to ensure the sustainability and feasibility of these prototypical telemedical applications.

Telemedicine in general neurology: use of audiovisual consultation for on call back-up service in an acute care hospital

OBJECTIVE

While telemedicine is in expanding use in acute stroke care, little is known about its use in general neurology, especially in acute care. We sought to investigate the feasibility and possible effects of a telemedicine device within the neurological back-up service of an acute care hospital.

METHODS

In a 450 bed academic teaching hospital an experienced neurologist (EN) is on call to support the junior doctor at the hospital. Support was possible whether by standard telephone advice (TA) or by audiovisual consultations (AVC). In AVC the expert used a mobile telemedicine device and so he could establish audiovisual contact from his home to the emergency room and examine newly admitted patients. Technical and patient details including timing and diagnosis were recorded. Video and audio quality as well as impact of AVC on diagnosis was rated by the EN.

RESULTS

Out of about 1200 cases in off peak times, during the study period, 164 AVC including remote video examination were done (13.6%). Also 48 cases were documented by pure TA. Video quality was rated to a medium of 1.7, audio quality to 2.1. In 36 cases the audiovisual consultation was influenced by technical issues leading to cessation of AVC in 8 cases. Duration of teleconsultation was 17.3 min in AVC compared to 8.7 min for TA. The consultation diagnosis in AVC was confirmed in 74.4% of all cases compared to 57.7% in TA. AVC was rated as a valuable contribution to the diagnostic workup in 74.3% of all cases seen. In about 40% of all cases AVC was not possible due to technical or organizational reasons.

CONCLUSIONS

Audiovisual consultation seems to be a feasible and useful support in routine neurology back-up service of an acute care hospital. Better mobility of devices and flexibility of service is needed to improve availability and quality of this valuable tool.

Telehealth for Remote Stroke Management

Stroke is a leading cause of adult disability and the fourth leading cause of death in Canada. Most strokes are ischemic and functional outcome is highly time-dependent, making fast diagnosis and treatment initiation crucial. This poses a challenge in vast geographical areas where stroke neurology expertise is only available in urban centres. In this article we review the rationale for telestroke networks and their current implementation in Canada. Telestroke networks enable stroke-specific procedures to be performed by less experienced physicians under the guidance of stroke neurology experts. We also present evidence that the safety and effectiveness of intravenous alteplase in community hospitals in a telestroke network seems to be comparable with that achieved in dedicated stroke centres. It is thus a viable option to guarantee an aging population access to stroke care across large geographic regions with faster treatment and access to more advanced treatment options by means of transfer to a comprehensive centre if necessary. Although telestroke networks have an upfront implementation cost, they can lead to reduced direct and indirect costs for the health care system by reducing days spent in the hospital as well as disability with the need for long-term care. Telestroke networks can also be used for identification and enrollment of patients into emergency stroke trials and thus provide a more representative sample of the population and increase recruitment. Standardization of regional telestroke networks could lead to collaborations with larger data acquisitions for research purposes and quality control in the future.

[Telemedicine in stroke care]

Telemedicine is already widely used in many telestroke networks and ensures stroke treatment close to the patient's home in rural and medically underserved areas. This is particularly effective when telemedicine is integrated into a stroke unit concept. While telemedically based thrombolysis therapy has become routine practice for many years, practical implementation of comprehensive mechanical thrombectomy and the related processes remains challenging. The main tasks for the future further include development of a structured stroke aftercare system in neurologically underserved areas and permanent assurance of high-quality stroke care in telemedically connected sites.

[Telemedicine: Comprehensive coverage and quality - Not a contradiction : Practical experience from the stroke network with telemedicine in northern Bavaria (STENO)]

Telemedicine is widely used in the field of stroke treatment. Following the pioneering and implementation phase, the quality of the whole stroke treatment process needs to be ensured in telemedically connected hospitals. This is particular important for telestroke hospitals without neurological expertise and can be achieved by integrating telemedicine into the stroke unit concept and stroke networks. The Stroke Network with Telemedicine in Northern Bavaria (STENO) provides an example of how quality management can be practically implemented. The implementation of STENO has established a network-wide quality management system which has been certified according to DIN EN ISO 9001:2008 since 2011.

24/7 Live Stream Telemedicine Home Treatment Service for Parkinson's Disease Patients

Background

Treatment of advanced-stage idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) is a demanding challenge, and in Germany, medication regimen adjustments are often made during inpatient stays. Admissions often follow an acute worsening of symptoms and functioning. In order to reduce long and expensive inpatient stays, and to provide more frequent consultations, a 24/7 live stream telemedicine home treatment service was established.

Methods

A pilot study was conducted in which laptops were distributed to 50 patients for 1 year to see whether such a service was feasible (in terms of patient participation and compliance) and whether this intervention affected the patient's condition, measured in UPDRS, Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), 39-item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ39), and H & Y Scale.

Results

Seventy-two percent (36) of the patients were compliant and did not experience technical issues. Patients lived, on average, 198 ± 183 km away from the specialist clinic. In total, 264 video conversations took place with 6.9 ± 7.2 (0-29) calls per patient. We found a significant improvement in PDQ39 scores, but not in UPDRS, MMSE, or H & Y scores, at 1 year.

Conclusions

Our data shows that 24/7 live stream telemedicine is feasible and can help to improve quality of life. However, a detailed preliminary review of the patient's willingness to use such a service should be made to obtain the best results. Improvement of the technical setup and network coverage would facilitate an improved service and increase efficiency.

Use of a telestroke service for evaluation of non-stroke neurological cases

Telemedicine is a growing field in many medical specialties. Within clinical neurosciences one of its largest applications is in acute stroke care. However, little is known about its value and effect in general neurology, despite stroke. In a retrospective survey of 1500 teleconsultations over a time period of 12 months from October 2008 to September 2009, from a large telestroke network in Germany, we evaluated 352 cases with a non-stroke diagnosis. Duration and methods of teleconsultation as well as neurological consultations at bedside and discharge diagnosis were analyzed and compared to stroke cases. Discharge diagnosis was not identical to teleconsultation diagnosis in 48.9% of all non-stroke cases compared to 12.5% of all stroke cases. Duration of teleconsultation was 26.5 min in non-stroke cases compared to 14.3 min for stroke cases. In non-stroke cases other parts of the neurological examination were added to the pure administration of a stroke scale. There were no significant differences between non-stroke cases with correct and incorrect consultation diagnoses concerning in-hospital mortality (4.6 vs. 5.0%) and length of hospital stay (8.3 vs. 7.6 days). We conclude that diagnostic accuracy and protocol routine is not as exact in non-stroke cases compared to acute stroke cases. Other neurologic conditions may need different algorithms for a telemedicine service. Thus experience from a telestroke service cannot be transferred to other neurologic conditions on a routine basis.