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Stroke services with longer collaboration services improve development phases and integrated care

In the Netherlands, integrated care activities within the regional stroke networks increased between 2012 and 2019. This resulted in better collaboration between organisations.

These are the findings of a self-assessment study which was carried out by Vilans researchers and published by the International Journal of Integrated Care. The research consisted of a self-assessment questionnaire which collected the responses of coordinators of the regional stroke services networks in 2012, 2015 and 2019. The objective is to help enhance the quality of integrated stroke care delivery and encourage continuous quality improvement. The conclusion is that in order to deliver patient-centred integrated stroke care, cooperation and collaboration between professionals, patients and caregivers is of utmost importance.

Room for improvement

On a global level, stroke is the second leading cause of death and source of ‘disability adjusted life years’. In the context of the Netherlands, the analyses found that stroke services with longer collaboration timespans result in improved development phases and a more comprehensive range of elements of integrated care. However, after two decades of implementation of stroke services, the study concludes that there is room for further improvement. This, says the authors, illustrates the long-term commitment that is needed if these complex programmes or strategies are to provide added value.

Authors: Voogdt-Pruis HR, Zonneveld N, Bergsma M, van Wijk E, Kerkhoff H, van der Dussen L, Kuijpens M, Vrijhoef HJM, Minkman MMN.

Read the publication in the International Journal of Integrated Care: Optimising Integrated Stroke Care in Regional Networks: A Nationwide Self-Assessment Study in 2012, 2015 and 2019.

Contact for this project:
Nick
Zonneveld

Researcher