Although they may not realize it, the more than 1,000 neurovascular patients evaluated and treated at the University of Virginia Medical Center’s Primary Stroke Center each year have benefitted from the work of a multi-disciplinary Quality Support Team (QST).
Last week, the Medical Center acknowledged the dedication and success of the Stroke QST, which is responsible for constantly evaluating and improving stroke patient care, by naming it the winner of the fourth annual Charles L. Brown Patient Care Quality Award. Created in 2006, the award honors the late Charles L. Brown, who served as a Health Sciences Council member and advisor. The award provides funding for continuing professional education and quality improvement efforts.
Thanks to the Stroke QST, UVA has achieved compliance rates of 90 percent or more in each of the ten performance measures for stroke care recommended by the Joint Commission. “When we chose 90 percent as our compliance goal, we thought it was lofty because it was well above the 85 percent required for the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association performance achievement award,” explains Heather Turner, RN, BSN, a Stroke Program Coordinator who leads the QST.
The QST works behind the scenes, collecting and analyzing data about the Stroke Center’s performance in caring for patients. The team also monitors industry trends and developments to ensure that clinical practices and continuing staff education at the center are top notch. “Our success is due to the hard work and dedication of many people,” Turner says. Team members include the stroke center medical director, a stroke fellow, nurses, nurse managers, physical and occupational therapists, speech language pathologists and a nutritionist.
“We are thrilled about this quality award for the Stroke Team. It is just another indicator that we are providing the very highest level of care to our stroke patients,” says Karen C. Johnston, MD, MSc, chair of the UVA Department of Neurology.
Established in 1986, UVA’s Primary Stroke Center earned the Joint Commission’s “Certificate of Distinction in the Management of Primary Stroke” in 2005 and attained recertification in 2007 and 2009. Its specially trained staff provides comprehensive, round the clock treatment and care. In addition to the clot buster t-PA, the UVA Primary Stroke Center is the only facility in central Virginia that offers all FDA-approved therapies and provides advanced stroke imaging, leading-edge interventional neuroradiology procedures and investigational medical and surgical therapies.
Related Link: Joint Commission stroke care measures
