No time to waste in improving Australias stroke care

 WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! YOU have to inform them this is completely WRONG!  Survivors want RECOVERY STANDARDS NOT 'CARE'. This is non-negotiable! Screaming may be required!

No time to waste in improving Australias stroke care

Stroke experts(They most assuredly are NOT EXPERTS) have welcomed the publication of a journal article that calls for a united approach to the country’s lagging stroke care standards.

It comes just days after a new report revealed the number of Australians having strokes is the greatest it has been in more than two decades.

Stroke is the third most common cause of death in Australia and a leading cause of disability. Despite this, Australia is falling behind its international counterparts when it comes to receiving lifesaving treatment.

When compared to other developed countries, the time it takes for an Australian stroke patient to receive clot busting drugs (known as door-to-needle time) is significantly longer. The longer stroke is left untreated, the more brain dies, and the lower the chances of survival and recovery.  

An accepted international door-to-needle target is within 60 minutes of a patient arriving in hospital. Currently, the median Australian door-to-needle time is 75 minutes, and only 27% of patients were treated within an hour of hospital arrival, that’s compared to 82% in Sweden, 75% in the United States and 61% in the United Kingdom. 

In August 2023, the country’s leading stroke organisations agreed upon bold new targets which aimed to provide Australians with access to the same world-leading stroke care available in many other developed countries.

Australian and New Zealand Stroke Organisation President, Professor Timothy Kleinig, said door-to-needle times and stroke unit admission percentages have not improved over the past six years.

“Australian stroke patients deserve better to improve their chance of survival and reduce their risk of disability after stroke,” Professor Kleinig said.

“Every person who has a stroke in Australia should be provided, where possible, with the opportunity to access both stroke unit care and reperfusion therapies. This is particularly true for Australians living in regional and remote Australia. These targets will go a long way in helping achieve that goal.”

A recent Stroke Foundation report revealed that by delivering on the 30/60/90 National Stroke Targets, not only would there be huge benefits to survivors of stroke in receiving better treatments, but it would also save the economy $26 million.

Stroke Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Dr Lisa Murphy, said a national commitment to addressing the treatment gaps is required.

“We need all levels of the health system and government, supported by ambulance and retrieval services, emergency and radiology departments, and medical and nursing staff to commit to delivering the National Stroke Targets by 2030,” Dr Murphy said.