A new report finds that stroke care across the province is improving, leading to a record low in mortality
Ontario saw its lowest stroke mortality rate ever last year, making the province one of the leaders worldwide in stroke mortality prevention, according to the Cardiac Care Network.
“This is fantastic news,” said CCN stroke services executive director Chris O’Callaghan. “The risk of dying within 30 days of a stroke has gone from 11.7 per 100 patients in 2014 to 10.6 in 2015, almost a 10% decrease, translating to more than 60 fewer deaths annually. More Ontarians are surviving a stroke and are receiving the rehabilitation services they need to achieve optimal recovery.”
The finding that Ontario’s stroke mortality rates had improved came as the result of a comprehensive evaluation of the province’s stroke care system by the Ontario Stroke Network, according to CCN. The OSN partnered with the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences to release a stroke report card that compared the level of access and treatment received by people who suffered strokes across the province. The report showed that most benchmarks had improved since the previous three-year performance study.
Each Local Health Integration Network also received its own report card, which will be used to further enhance care of stroke victims, CCN reported.
“The stroke report cards have been critical in measuring performance and driving improvements in stroke care, resulting in improved patient outcomes at the LHIN level,” said Dr. Mark Bayley. “The report cards show that patient flow has improved as reflected in reduced wait times for transitions, better access to specialized stroke units and improved access and efficiency of rehabilitative care.”
“The province is doing a lot of work right now in ensuring that stroke patients are not waiting to get into rehabilitation,” said Andrea Guth, program director for Waterloo-Wellington LHIN. “What we have done here in Waterloo-Wellington is to introduce a policy that people receiving treatment for a stroke cannot be refused.”
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Olympian waiting on health insurance bill
“This is fantastic news,” said CCN stroke services executive director Chris O’Callaghan. “The risk of dying within 30 days of a stroke has gone from 11.7 per 100 patients in 2014 to 10.6 in 2015, almost a 10% decrease, translating to more than 60 fewer deaths annually. More Ontarians are surviving a stroke and are receiving the rehabilitation services they need to achieve optimal recovery.”
The finding that Ontario’s stroke mortality rates had improved came as the result of a comprehensive evaluation of the province’s stroke care system by the Ontario Stroke Network, according to CCN. The OSN partnered with the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences to release a stroke report card that compared the level of access and treatment received by people who suffered strokes across the province. The report showed that most benchmarks had improved since the previous three-year performance study.
Each Local Health Integration Network also received its own report card, which will be used to further enhance care of stroke victims, CCN reported.
“The stroke report cards have been critical in measuring performance and driving improvements in stroke care, resulting in improved patient outcomes at the LHIN level,” said Dr. Mark Bayley. “The report cards show that patient flow has improved as reflected in reduced wait times for transitions, better access to specialized stroke units and improved access and efficiency of rehabilitative care.”
“The province is doing a lot of work right now in ensuring that stroke patients are not waiting to get into rehabilitation,” said Andrea Guth, program director for Waterloo-Wellington LHIN. “What we have done here in Waterloo-Wellington is to introduce a policy that people receiving treatment for a stroke cannot be refused.”
RELATED LINKS:
Olympian waiting on health insurance bill
