Quality of Acute Stroke Care at Primary Stroke Centers Before and After Certification in Comparison to Never-Certified Hospitals

The role of stroke care infrastructure on the effectiveness of a hub-and-spoke telestroke model in South Carolina

OBJECTIVE

To examine the relationship between stroke care infrastructure and stroke quality-of-care outcomes at 29 spoke hospitals participating in the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) hub-and-spoke telestroke network.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Encounter-level data from MUSC's telestroke patient registry were filtered to include encounters during 2015-2022 for patients aged 18 and above with a clinical diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke, and who received intravenous tissue plasminogen activator. Unadjusted and adjusted generalized estimating equations assessed associations between time-related stroke quality-of-care metrics captured during the encounter and the existence of the two components of stroke care infrastructure-stroke coordinators and stroke center certifications-across all hospitals and within hospital subgroups defined by size and rurality.

RESULTS

Telestroke encounters at spoke hospitals with stroke coordinators and stroke center certifications were associated with shorter door-to-needle (DTN) times (60.9 min for hospitals with both components and 57.3 min for hospitals with one, vs. 81.2 min for hospitals with neither component, p <.001). Similar patterns were observed for the percentage of encounters with DTN time of ≤60 min (63.8% and 68.9% vs. 32.0%, p <.001) and ≤45 min (34.0% and 38.4% vs. 8.42%, p <.001). Associations were similar for other metrics (e.g., door-to-registration time), and were stronger for smaller (vs. larger) hospitals and rural (vs. urban) hospitals.

CONCLUSIONS

Stroke coordinators or stroke center certifications may be important for stroke quality of care, especially at spoke hospitals with limited resources or in rural areas.

Lessons Learned From the Historical Trends on Thrombolysis Use for Acute Ischemic Stroke Among Medicare Beneficiaries in the United States

Background

The most recent time trends on intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) utilization for acute ischemic stroke was reported in 2011 using the Get with the Guidelines. Our objectives are to assess and validate the change in IVT utilization through 2014 in a national sample of Medicare beneficiaries and to examine the effect of patient, stroke center designation, and geography on IVT utilization.

Methods

We built a comprehensive national stroke registry by combining patient-level, stroke center status, and geographical characteristics, using multiple data sources. Using multiple national administrative databases from 2007 to 2014, we generated a mixed-effect logistic regression model to characterize the independent associations of patient, hospital, and geographical characteristics with IVT in 2014.

Results

Use of IVT increased consistently from 2.8% in 2007 to 7.7% in 2014, P &lt; 0.001. Between group differences persisted, with lower odds of use in patients who were ≥86 years (aOR 0.74, 95% CI 0.65–0.83), Black (aOR 0.73, 95% CI 0.61–0.87), or treated at a rural hospital (aOR 0.88, 95% CI 0.77–1.00). Higher odds of use were observed in patients who arrived by ambulance (aOR 2.67, 95% CI 2.38–3.00), were treated at a hospital certified as a stroke center (aOR 1.96, 95% CI 1.68–2.29), or were treated at hospitals located in the most socioeconomically advantaged areas (aOR 1.27, 95% CI 1.05–1.54).

Conclusions

Between 2007 and 2014, the frequency of IVT for patients with acute ischemic stroke increased substantially, though differences persisted in the form of less frequent treatment associated with certain characteristics. These findings can inform ongoing efforts to optimize the delivery of IVT to all AIS patients nationwide.

Better nurse work environments associated with fewer readmissions and shorter length of stay among adults with ischemic stroke: A cross-sectional analysis of United States hospitals

Stroke is among the most common reasons for disability and death. Avoiding readmissions and long lengths of stay among ischemic stroke patients has benefits for patients and health care systems alike. Although reduced readmission rates among a variety of medical patients have been associated with better nurse work environments, it is unknown how the work environment might influence readmissions and length of stay for ischemic stroke patients. Using linked data sources, we conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 543 hospitals to evaluate the association between the nurse work environment and readmissions and length of stay for 175,467 hospitalized adult ischemic stroke patients. We utilized logistic regression models for readmission to estimate odds ratios (OR) and zero-truncated negative binomial models for length of stay to estimate the incident-rate ratio (IRR). Final models accounted for hospital and patient characteristics. Seven and 30-day readmission rates were 3.9% and 10.1% respectively and the average length of stay was 4.9 days. In hospitals with better nurse work environments ischemic stroke patients experienced lower odds of 7- and 30-day readmission (7-day OR, 0.96; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.93-0.99 and 30-day OR, 0.97; 95% CI: 0.94-0.99) and lower length of stay (IRR, 0.97; 95% CI: 0.95-0.99). The work environment is a modifiable feature of hospitals that should be considered when providing comprehensive stroke care and improving post-stroke outcomes.