Windsor-Essex residents are getting treatment for strokes earlier and meeting length of stay targets, according to a report from the from the Institute of Clinical Evaluative Sciences and the Ontario Stroke Network.
Results of the Stroke Report Card for the Erie St. Clair LHIN indicate that patients treated for stroke show improvements as a result of the hospital realignment; having acute stroke care focused on by one organization and rehabilitation care the focus of another.
The proportion of stroke patients treated on a stroke unit at a hospital in the Erie St. Clair LHIN at any time during their hospital stay was reported as 36 per cent in 2015/16, up from 18 per cent in 2014/15.
"It means more patients are getting specialized stroke care" says Denise St. Louis, the District Stroke Co-ordinator for Windsor-Essex.
Early positive results from the impact of the opening of a dedicated Acute Stroke Unit April 3, 2017 at the WRH Ouellette Campus have not been factored into the report. However, it is anticipated that the ESC LHIN results will only improve as the program matures and cares for more stroke patients
Other improvements, patients eligible to receive the clot-busting drugs are receiving it faster - within 63 minutes of arrival at the hospital.
The impact of opening of a dedicated acute stroke unit at Windsor Regional Hospital's Ouellette Campus has not been factored into the report, but the hospital expects these results will improve as the unit grows and cares for more patients.
