Inside Duke Medicine
DUH wins award for quality stroke care
posted June 18th, 2010
The Duke Stroke Center was recognized June 16 by the American Heart and Stroke Association for high quality care of stroke patients in data reported in the AHA/ASA's Get With The Guidelines stroke quality improvement program.
The center, which has participated in the Get With the Guidelines program for only one year, won the Silver Plus award, the highest award available at one year. Duke University Hospital received the award for achieving at least 12 consecutive months of 85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines stroke performance achievement indicators and at least 12 consecutive months of 75 percent or higher compliance with five of eight Get With the Guidelines stroke quality measures to improve quality of patient care and outcomes.
Larry Goldstein, M.D., director of the Stroke Center, and Mark Constable, stroke coordinator, accepted the award from Ron Cromartie, AHA vice president for quality improvement.
The award reflects a large, interdisciplinary team effort to achieve this level of quality in stroke patient care. Stroke Center leadership credits excellent physicians, nurses, nursing assistants, radiologists, radiology technicians, laboratory, ECG technologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, social workers, nutritionists, patient resource managers and Emergency Department staff, as well as hospital administration.
"This is a real team effort," Goldstein said. "This kind of thing can't happen without everyone working together."