WICHITA - Wesley Medical Center has received the Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Gold-Plus Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association for the treatment of stroke patients.

The Get With The Guidelines - Stroke helps hospital teams provide the most up-to-date, research-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients.

Wesley earned the award by achieving a minimum of 12 consecutive months of 85 percent or greater adherence to all Get With the Guidelines - Stroke quality indicators and by achieving at least 75 percent or greater compliance with six out of 10 stroke quality measures during that same period of time. Measurement indicators include aggressive use of medications and smoking cessation education.

"The Get With The Guidelines award demonstrates that our staff is committed to providing care that has been shown in the scientific literature to quickly and efficiently treat stroke patients with evidence-based protocols," said Deb Free, Wesley's stroke program coordinator. "We strive to be the expert choice for patients and physicians alike, so it's important that we follow the best practices demonstrated by the medical community."

The Wesley Medical Center Stroke Leadership Team

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the number four cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States.  On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds, someone dies of a stroke every four minutes and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.

"We are pleased to recognize Wesley for its commitment and dedication to stroke care," said Deepak Bhatt, MD, national chairman of the Get With The Guidelines steering committee. "Studies have shown hospitals that consistently follow Get With The Guidelines quality improvement measures can reduce patients' length of stays and 30-day readmission rates and reduce disparity gaps in care."

Get With the Guidelines uses the "teachable moment," the time soon after a patient has a stroke, when he or she is most likely to listen to and follow healthcare professionals' guidance. Studies demonstrate 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 Get With The Guidelines - Stroke, customized patient education materials are made available at the point of discharge, based on patients' individual risk profiles. The take-away materials are written in an easy-to-understand format.

"The number of acute stroke patients eligible for treatment is expected to grow over the next decade due to increasing stroke incidence and a large aging population," Free said. "The time is right to be focused on improving the quality of stroke care."

 

Stroke kills twice as many women as breast cancer. 

A stroke can happen to anyone at any age. However, some demographic groups have a higher risk. Ethnicity and gender are examples of uncontrollable risk factors.

Women have more strokes than men, yet only 7 out of 10 women are aware of this. Women also suffer greater disability after stroke than men. Here are some more facts that all women should know:

• Stroke kills twice as many women as breast cancer does every year.
• 425,000 women suffer from a stroke each year-55,000 more than men.
• Only 27 percent of women can name more than two of the six primary stroke symptoms.

Women are not the only group that sees a greater prevalence of stroke. Twice as many African Americans have strokes compared to Caucasians and they are twice as likely to die from a stroke. Hispanics in the U.S. are more likely to suffer a stroke at a younger age than Caucasians are. And Hispanics are also less likely to know stroke warning signs. People with diabetes are also more at risk for stroke.

For anyone affected by one of these uncontrollable risk factors, it's very important to get serious about managing controllable risk factors. Read more about what you can do at www.stroke.org/risk.

Would you know a stroke if you had one?

Stroke strikes FAST and you should too! Many people don't know that being able to recognize and respond to stroke symptoms can save lives.

A stroke or "brain attack" occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery or a blood vessel breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain. When either of these things happen, brain cells begin to die and brain damage occurs. That's why a stroke should be treated as an emergency.

Recognizing stroke symptoms can be easy if you remember to think FAST. Use FAST to remember the warning signs:

F= Face            Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?

A= Arms           Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?

S= Speech        Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Does the speech sound slurred or strange?

T= TimeIf you observe any of these signs, it's time to call 9-1-1.

4 things you can do to prevent a stroke

Many people don't know that stroke is one of the most preventable of all life-threatening health problems. By making simple lifestyle changes you can reduce your risk for a stroke. Here are some tips:

• Get moving, stay active and incorporate exercise into your daily routine.
• Don't smoke! If you are a regular smoker, make a resolution to quit. It may be one of the very best things you can do for your health.
• Eat a well-balanced diet that is low in fat and sodium and rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
• Drink alcohol only in moderation.

Learn more stroke prevention tips at www.stroke.org/preven t.

Brought to you by National Stroke Association. Learn more about stroke awareness at www.stroke.org/awareness .

Megan Canter

Director of Telemedicine

HCA Continental Division

4900 S Monaco Street, Suite 380

Denver, CO 80237-3487
303-788-2568 (ofc)

303-717-9995 (cell)

Megan.Canter@HCAHealthcare.com