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Home Quality and Safety

Stroke Quality Scores

An ischemic stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is blocked or severely reduced, depriving the brain of the oxygen it needs to work properly.

The quality scores below tell you how well hospitals in the Duke University Health System follow the guidelines set by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) in treating ischemic strokes.

Post-Stroke Rehabilitation Assessment

Percentage of patients assessed for rehabilitation needs

Stroke patients may experience a change in how well they function in their daily lives. While in the hospital, members of the care team, such as physical and occupational therapists, assess patients to determine what types of therapies may be beneficial. The care team will use this assessment to create a recommendation for a variety of therapy options, including:

•    Outpatient rehabilitation
•    Inpatient rehabilitation
•    Acute rehabilitation facilities
•    No additional therapies are needed

Regardless of the recommendation, it is important that our care teams assess patients to best understand their needs.

Note: This Get with the Guidelines® Aggregate Data report was generated using the Outcome™ PMT® system. Copy or distribution of the GWTG Aggregate Data is prohibited without the prior written consent of the American Heart Association and Outcome Sciences, Inc.

Post-Stroke Discharge Disposition

Percentage of patients discharged from the hospital to home or an inpatient rehabilitation facility

The rehabilitation assessment and recommendation conducted by the stroke care team helps determine where stroke patients are cared for following their hospital stay. While this recommendation is based on each individual patient’s care needs, the preferred scenarios are to release patients to go home or to an inpatient rehabilitation facility. These options are reserved for patients who are expected to function as they did before their stroke or are expected to return to their baseline function with the help of brief, yet intensive therapy provided in the inpatient rehabilitation facility.

Note: This Get with the Guidelines® Aggregate Data report was generated using the Outcome™ PMT® system. Copy or distribution of the GWTG Aggregate Data is prohibited without the prior written consent of the American Heart Association and Outcome Sciences, Inc.

Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy

0% complication rate (30-day post-procedure stroke and death rate)

Carotid endarterectomy is a procedure to improve blood flow through a major blood vessel that feeds the brain. Your surgeon makes an incision in the neck to remove plaque clogging your artery. While all procedures have a risk, Duke University Hospital reports that in the past year no patient suffered a stroke or death in the 30 days following this procedure.

Time period: July 2018 - June 2019