London hospitals are stepping up efforts to treat stroke patients after a warning shot of a study found fewer than half of patients here were given clot-busting medication that can reduce brain damage.
Ive seen more improvement in the last year than the last 10 years (combined), said Dr. Michael Nicolle, chef of neurology at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC).
Patient care is not the only thing at stake: The Ontario Health Ministry soon will fund stroke care in part based on how well hospitals measure up to performance benchmarks.
A provincial study found fewer than half of stroke patients who should benefit from a clot-buster got them, though the rate improved from less than one-third in 2010-11 to 47% a year later. That poor finding was one of five for Southwestern Ontario in report cards that found hospitals in the province falling short in providing care to stroke victims, with 96 failing marks compared with just 24 exemplary ones.
London hospitals are working hard to better their marks, Nicolle said:
The additional stroke neurologists might allow for better treatment in the region around London, too. Right now in the region, only three hospitals have neurologists who can give clot-busters while a fourth, in Goderich, can phone London specialists to guide that decision.
The extra specialist may enable phone-based treatment in Woodstock and St. Thomas, Nicolle said.
In Southwest ERs, only 18.9% received clot-busters in 2010-11, the second-worst rate in the province, according to findings by Ontarios lead analyzer of medical data, the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences.
A previous assertion at LHSC that clot-busters were given at rates as high as 85% were incorrect, said Nicolle, who wasnt involved in making that claim. Nor has there been an internal audit.
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