Acute ischemic stroke in hospitalized medicare patients: evaluation and treatment.
OBJECTIVE
This study describes several quality indicators of care in hospitalized stroke patients in Michigan from 1998 to 1999.


METHODS
Median times from admission to head CT/MRI (89.5 minutes) and thrombolysis (113 minutes) exceeded recommended guidelines. Deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis was used in only 13.8% of eligible patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Timing for brain imaging and acute ischemic stroke symptom onset need to be better documented, along with more provider education for routine deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis.
Roychoudhury
Canopy
C
Michigan Peer Review Organization, Plymouth, Mich 48170, USA. croychou@mpro.org
Jacobs
Bradley S
BS
Baker
Patricia L
PL
Schultz
Daniel
D
Mehta
Rajendra H
RH
Levine
Steven R
SR
D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education; D006761:Hospitals / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D006278:Medicare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008824:Michigan; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000517:prevention & control