Improving outcomes for stroke patients

GRAMPIANS Health researchers are looking to improve the outcomes for patients who experience an in-hospital stroke.

An in-hospital stroke occurs once a patient is already admitted, and these patients are more likely to experience a worse outcome than those who have a stroke out of hospital.

Stroke is the second leading cause or mortality and morbidity worldwide and Grampians Health’s Casey Hair, Victorian Stroke Telemedicine (VST) site-coordinator, is working to improve outcomes.

“The aim of this study is to identify people at-risk for suffering in-hospital strokes, and from this, to understand how to guide hospital policy, education, and practice to mitigate as much risk for these patients as possible,” she said.

“By looking at the data of research studies conducted around the world, we can bring together all the information to find commonalities about risk-factors for in-hospital stroke.

“This can be used to help us treat our patients to hopefully reduce their risk of stroke while also alerting staff to these patients to monitor them more closely,”

When someone is experiencing stroke symptoms, it is important to react quickly and, being able to recognise a patient is at a higher risk of experiencing an in-hospital stroke will help long term outcomes.

Former Grampians Health junior medical doctor, Dr Matthew Heard, started this project in early 2024 and it is now continuing under Ms Hair.

“We’re very lucky to be undertaking this important research here,” said Ms Hair.

“Matt kicked off this project for us and got us very far along before moving to another health service.

“We’re grateful that his leadership got us most of the way through the research and we can continue to help patients now and into the future.”