| WESTFIELD — Noble Hospital recently received the American Stroke Assoc. Get with the Guidelines – Stroke Gold Performance Achievement Award, which recognizes the hospital’s commitment to and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment for at least 24 months according to nationally accepted standards and recommendations.
“With a stroke, time lost is brain lost, and the GWTG – Stroke Gold Performance Achievement Award addresses the important element of time,” said Brenda Theriaque, a project coordinator in Noble’s Continuous Quality Improvement Department, who is responsible for managing Noble’s efforts in stroke care.
Noble Hospital has developed a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the Emergency Department. This includes always being equipped to provide brain-imaging scans, having neurologists available to conduct patient evaluations, and using clot-busting medications when appropriate.
To receive the award, Noble Hospital demonstrated 85{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} adherence to the GWTG – Stroke key measures for 24 or more consecutive months. These include aggressive use of medications like tPA, antithrombotics, anticoagulation therapy, DVT prophylaxis, cholesterol-reducing drugs, and smoking cessation.
“The American Stroke Assoc. commends Noble Hospital for its success in implementing standards of care and protocols,” said Dr. Lee Schwamm, national Get with the Guidelines Steering Committee Member and director of Acute Stroke Services at Mass. General Hospital in Boston. “The full implementation of acute care and secondary prevention recommendations and guidelines is a critical step in saving the lives and improving outcomes of stroke patients.”
Noble Hospital was cited for a Silver Award in this same category in a recent advertising section of U.S. News & World Report. The updated Gold Award was received after the printing deadline for the issue.
GWTG – Stroke uses the ‘teachable moment,’ the time soon after a patient has had a stroke, when they are most likely to listen to and follow health care professionals’ guidance. Studies demonstrate that patients who are taught how to manage their risk factors while still in the hospital reduce their risk of a second heart attack or stroke.
Through GWTG – Stroke, customized patient education materials are made available at the point of discharge, based on patients’ individual risk profiles. The takeaway materials are written in an easy-to-understand format and are available in English and Spanish. In addition, the GWTG Patient Management Tool provides access to up-to-date cardiovascular and stroke science at the point of care.
“The time is right for Noble Hospital to be focused on improving the quality of stroke care by implementing GWTG – Stroke,” said Ann Reichert, director of Noble Hospital Continuous Quality Improvement Department. “The number of acute ischemic stroke patients eligible for treatment is expected to grow over the next decade due to increasing stroke incidence and a large aging population.”
According to the American Stroke Assoc., each year approximately 700,000 people suffer a stroke; 500,000 are first attacks, and 200,000 are recurrent. Of stroke survivors, 21{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} of men and 24{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} of women die within a year, and for those aged 65 and older, the percentage is even higher. |
