title: [Stroke care profile: a study of Lithuania population in Kaunas].
abstract: An aim of the study was to evaluate volume of medical care for stroke patients in Kaunas, Lithuania. Patients with first-ever stroke admitted to 2 Kaunas municipal hospitals have been registered. Data have been collected according to the requirements of the EC BIOMED-2 Program "Towards cost-effective stroke care" using standardized questionnaires. In total 331 patients (121 men and 210 women, mean age 69,8 +/- 0,64 years) were studied, 52% being admitted to the hospital during the first 6 h of the illness and over two thirds during the first 24 h. Most of patients (85%) were hospitalized into general neurological wards. Computed tomography of the brain was performed in one third of the patients. More than two thirds did not undergo any of the possible neurodiagnostic procedures. During staying in the hospital, rehabilitation was launched for 53,2% of patients. Out of all patients survived (83,5%), 29,9% were discharged to the rehabilitation unit. The results revealed that the level of medical care for a stroke patient appeared to be rather moderate: delay time for hospital medical care was too long, proportion of diagnostic examinations was too low and the volume of rehabilitation and social services were not sufficient.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rastenyte
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sopagiene
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Paulauskas
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Goriniene
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000639:trends*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008097:Lithuania / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D014505:Urban Population