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(Stroke. 2005;36:690.)
© 2005 American Heart Association, Inc.

AHA Scientific Statement

Recommendations for the Establishment of Stroke Systems of Care

Recommendations From the American Stroke Association’s Task Force on the Development of Stroke Systems

Task Force Members; Lee H. Schwamm, MD; Arthur Pancioli, MD; Joe E. Acker, III, EMT-P, MPH, MS; Larry B. Goldstein, MD; Richard D. Zorowitz, MD; Timothy J. Shephard, PhD(c), CNRN, CNS; Peter Moyer, MD, MPH; Mark Gorman, MD; S. Claiborne Johnston, MPH, MD, PhD; Pamela W. Duncan, PhD; Phil Gorelick, MD; Jeffery Frank, MD; Steven K. Stranne, MD, JD; Renee Smith, MPA; William Federspiel, BA; Katie B. Horton, RN, JD; Ellen Magnis, MBA Robert J. Adams, MD

Key Words: AHA Policy Recommendations • stroke • brain ischemia • prevention • therapy

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

	Introduction

 
Stroke continues to be a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Approximately 700 000 Americans have a new or recurrent stroke each year, and stroke remains the third leading cause of death in the United States when considered independently from other cardiovascular diseases. Stroke also remains a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States.¹

Major advances have been made during the past several decades in stroke prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation. Despite successes in delivering effective new therapies, significant obstacles remain in ensuring that scientific advances are consistently translated into clinical practice. In many instances, these obstacles can be related to a fragmentation of stroke-related care caused by inadequate integration of the various facilities, agencies, and professionals that should closely collaborate in providing stroke care. There is increased emphasis on improving the components of stroke care, including recommendations from the Brain Attack Coalition for primary stroke centers and a formal process provided through the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) for the certification of primary stroke centers.^2–4 It is critically important to look carefully at how the distinct components can be better integrated into systems of stroke care.

The American Stroke Association (ASA), a division of the American Heart Association (AHA), is dedicated to improving stroke prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation through research, education, advocacy, and the development and application of scientifically based standards and guidelines. The ASA convened a multidisciplinary group, the Task Force on the Development of Stroke Systems, to describe . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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