LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Three UofL Health facilities have received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes our hospitals’ commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment and improving patient outcomes according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.
The distinctions awarded the facilities are as follows:
- UofL Health – UofL Hospital: Get With The Guidelines – Stroke GOLD PLUS with Honor Roll Elite Plus
- UofL Health – Mary & Elizabeth Hospital: Get With The Guidelines – Stroke GOLD PLUS with Honor Roll Elite
- UofL Health – Jewish Hospital: Get With The Guidelines – Stroke GOLD PLUS with Honor Roll Elite
These facilities earned the award by meeting specific advanced quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. Before discharge, patients should also receive education on managing their health and schedule a follow-up visit, as well as other care transition interventions.
“The quality of care for our stroke patients is our number one priority.” said Jason Stiles, MSN, RN, CEN, System Director, UofL Health – Stroke. “It is a proud achievement to be recognized by The American Heart Association’s Gold Plus Award as a gold standard in stroke care. This offers an extra degree of promise that UofL Health has the expertise, technology and resources to accomplish saving more lives.”
To qualify for the Target: Stroke℠ Honor Roll Elite award, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke.
According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year. However, the best chance of a positive outcome is early intervention.
“UofL Health is committed to preventing and treating stroke. We also know that time is critical for a stroke patient, and every minute counts. Help save a life by recognizing the warning signs of stroke.” Said Kerri Remmel, M.D., Ph.D., Medical Director of UofL Health – Stroke.
With strokes, seconds can mean the difference between life and death, between a full recovery or not. So if you’re experiencing signs of stroke, the most important thing you can do is call 911, or get to the emergency room closest to you,” said Remmel.
Common signs of stroke are as follows:
- Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or difficulty understanding speech
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or lack of coordination
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause
- Trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Sudden throbbing or cramping pain, extreme swelling or warmth in a leg or arm
- Sudden breathlessness, sharp chest pain
