open access

Vol 58, No 1 (2024)
Research Paper
Submitted: 2023-07-10
Accepted: 2023-10-06
Published online: 2023-12-01
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External quality monitoring facilitates improvement in already well-performing stroke units: insights from RES-Q Poland

Michał Karliński1, Adam Kobayashi2, Maciej Niewada3, Waldemar Fryze4, Agata Tomczak5, Waldemar Brola6, Konrad Rejdak7, Piotr Luchowski7, Bożena Adamkiewicz8, Małgorzata Wiszniewska9, Urszula Włodarczyk9, Radosław Kaźmierski10, Pawel Kram11, Halina Bartosik-Psujek12, Rafał Kaczorowski12, Piotr Sobolewski13, Małgorzata Fudala14, Agata Gałązka15, Marcin Rogoziewicz16, Anna Rogoziewicz16, Halina Sienkiewicz-Jarosz17, Ewelina Cybulska17, Natalia Pożarowszczyk1, Jacek Staszewski18, Aleksander Dębiec18, Ewa Horoch-Łyszczarek19, Alicja Mączkowiak20, Anna Czlonkowska1
·
Pubmed: 38037889
·
Neurol Neurochir Pol 2024;58(1):75-83.
Affiliations
  1. 2nd Department of Neurology, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, Warsaw, Poland
  2. Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine - Collegium Medicum, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw, Poland
  3. Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
  4. Department of Neurology, Copernicus Hospital, Gdansk, Poland
  5. Neurology and Stroke Department, St. Wincenty a Paulo Hospital, Gdynia, Poland
  6. Collegium Medicum, Jan Kochanowski University, Kielce, and Department of Neurology, Specialist Hospital, Konskie, Poland
  7. Department of Neurology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
  8. Comprehensive Cancer Center and Traumatology, Copernicus Memorial Hospital in Lodz, Poland
  9. Stanisław Staszic Specialist Hospital, Neurology with Stroke Unit in Piła, Poland
  10. Department of Neurology, Collegium Medicum, University of Zielona Góra, and Department of Neurology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland
  11. Department of Neurology with Stroke Unit, 1st Clinical Hospital, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, and Department of Neurology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland
  12. Faculty of Medicine, University of Rzeszow, Rzeszow, Poland
  13. Collegium Mecicum, Jan Kochanowski University, Kielce and Department of Neurology and Stroke Unit, Holy Spirit Specialist Hospital in Sandomierz, Poland
  14. Neurology Department with Stroke Unit, Skarżysko-Kamienna Hospital, Skarżysko-Kamienna, Poland
  15. Department of Neurology, Specialist Hospital in Sucha Beskidzka, Poland
  16. Department of Neurology with Stroke Unit; Nicolaus Copernicus Specialist Municipal Hospital in Torun; at the time of data collection - Department of Neurology with Stroke Unit; 107th Military Hospital with Polyclinic in Wałcz, Poland
  17. 1st Department of Neurology, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, Warsaw, Poland
  18. Clinic of Neurology, Military Institute of Medicine, Warsaw, Poland
  19. Department of Neurology, T. Marciniak Lower Silesian Specialist Hospital, Wroclaw, Poland
  20. Department of Neurology and Stroke, Pomeranian Hospitals, Wejherowo, Poland

open access

Vol 58, No 1 (2024)
Research papers
Submitted: 2023-07-10
Accepted: 2023-10-06
Published online: 2023-12-01

Abstract

Introduction. The Registry of Stroke Care Quality (RES-Q) is used in Poland for quality monitoring by numerous hospitals participating in the Angels Initiative. Our aim was to assess the degree of improvement in highly stroke-oriented centres that report cases to the RES-Q each year.

Material and methods. This retrospective analysis included Polish stroke units that from January 2017 to December 2020 contributed to the RES-Q at least 25 patients annually.

Results. Seventeen out of 180 Polish stroke units reported patients each year (2017, n = 1,691; 2018, n = 2,986; 2019, n = 3,750; 2020, n = 3,975). The percentage of ischaemic stroke patients treated with alteplase remained stable (26%, 29%, 30% and 28%, respectively). The door-to-needle time progressively decreased, from a median 49 minutes to 32 minutes. The percentage of patients treated ≤ 60 minutes and ≤ 45 minutes significantly increased (from 68% to 86% and from 43% to 70%, respectively), with no change observed between 2019 and 2020. Despite a general improvement in dysphagia screening (81%, 91%, 98% and 99%), screening performed within the first 24h from admission became less frequent (78%, 76%, 69% and 65%). In-hospital mortality significantly increased (11%, 11%, 13% and 15%), while the proportion of patients discharged home remained stable.

Conclusions. Quality-oriented projects facilitate the improvement of stroke care, even in centres demonstrating good baseline performance. Polish stroke units that consistently reported cases to the RES-Q demonstrated improvement in terms of door-to- -needle time and dysphagia screening. However, there is still a need to shorten the time to dysphagia screening, and carefully monitor stroke unit mortality following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract

Introduction. The Registry of Stroke Care Quality (RES-Q) is used in Poland for quality monitoring by numerous hospitals participating in the Angels Initiative. Our aim was to assess the degree of improvement in highly stroke-oriented centres that report cases to the RES-Q each year.

Material and methods. This retrospective analysis included Polish stroke units that from January 2017 to December 2020 contributed to the RES-Q at least 25 patients annually.

Results. Seventeen out of 180 Polish stroke units reported patients each year (2017, n = 1,691; 2018, n = 2,986; 2019, n = 3,750; 2020, n = 3,975). The percentage of ischaemic stroke patients treated with alteplase remained stable (26%, 29%, 30% and 28%, respectively). The door-to-needle time progressively decreased, from a median 49 minutes to 32 minutes. The percentage of patients treated ≤ 60 minutes and ≤ 45 minutes significantly increased (from 68% to 86% and from 43% to 70%, respectively), with no change observed between 2019 and 2020. Despite a general improvement in dysphagia screening (81%, 91%, 98% and 99%), screening performed within the first 24h from admission became less frequent (78%, 76%, 69% and 65%). In-hospital mortality significantly increased (11%, 11%, 13% and 15%), while the proportion of patients discharged home remained stable.

Conclusions. Quality-oriented projects facilitate the improvement of stroke care, even in centres demonstrating good baseline performance. Polish stroke units that consistently reported cases to the RES-Q demonstrated improvement in terms of door-to- -needle time and dysphagia screening. However, there is still a need to shorten the time to dysphagia screening, and carefully monitor stroke unit mortality following the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Keywords

acute stroke, quality monitoring, stroke care management, outcome, registry, Poland

About this article
Title

External quality monitoring facilitates improvement in already well-performing stroke units: insights from RES-Q Poland

Journal

Neurologia i Neurochirurgia Polska

Issue

Vol 58, No 1 (2024)

Article type

Research Paper

Pages

75-83

Published online

2023-12-01

Page views

547

Article views/downloads

580

DOI

10.5603/pjnns.96442

Pubmed

38037889

Bibliographic record

Neurol Neurochir Pol 2024;58(1):75-83.

Keywords

acute stroke
quality monitoring
stroke care management
outcome
registry
Poland

Authors

Michał Karliński
Adam Kobayashi
Maciej Niewada
Waldemar Fryze
Agata Tomczak
Waldemar Brola
Konrad Rejdak
Piotr Luchowski
Bożena Adamkiewicz
Małgorzata Wiszniewska
Urszula Włodarczyk
Radosław Kaźmierski
Pawel Kram
Halina Bartosik-Psujek
Rafał Kaczorowski
Piotr Sobolewski
Małgorzata Fudala
Agata Gałązka
Marcin Rogoziewicz
Anna Rogoziewicz
Halina Sienkiewicz-Jarosz
Ewelina Cybulska
Natalia Pożarowszczyk
Jacek Staszewski
Aleksander Dębiec
Ewa Horoch-Łyszczarek
Alicja Mączkowiak
Anna Czlonkowska

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