Edward Hospital has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s (AHA/ASA) Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.

For Zudia Neziri, RN, Neuroscience/Stroke Clinical Coordinator, the honor is a point of pride and also very personal.

“To be able to work at a hospital and be part of a program where you can say ‘I would want my family to receive care here’ says a lot about our stroke team and the care we provide,” says Neziri.

Edward Hospital earned the award by meeting specific 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, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions.

Edward Hospital is also certified as a Comprehensive Stroke Center from DNV GL Healthcare.

“These awards make me feel very proud to be part of the stroke team,” says Rebecca McLaughlin, Stroke Clinical Coordinator and neurology advanced practice nurse. “We are constantly focused on improving and looking at the next step. It’s great to take a moment to reflect on how much we have really achieved, which means positive outcomes for our patients.”<

In addition, Edward Hospital received the AHA/ASA Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite award. To qualify for this recognition, 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.

“The recognition highlights the dedication and commitment from our multidisciplinary team in successfully implementing the highest standards of stroke care,” says Neziri. “At Edward, the stroke care we provide is comprehensive and seamless, for patients not only during their hospitalization, but pre-hospital and post-discharge. Optimizing the outcomes of our stroke patients is always at the forefront of what our team does, personalizing the care of each patient, every step of the way.”

“The key to our team accomplishing these awards comes down to everyone’s commitment to providing the best care for our stroke patients,” says McLaughlin. “Many times throughout the day, I am stopped by staff to receive an update, or answer a question, or collaborate on a patient’s plan of care, and so many of these interactions are initiated by the other team members, that I think it really shows how focused they are on achieving the best outcomes.”

Research shows that hospitals adhering to clinical measures through the Get With The Guidelines quality improvement initiative often see fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates.

According to the AHA/ASA, 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.

At Edward-Elmhurst Health, we strive to provide the fastest, most efficient and effective stroke care possible. Learn about our stroke and vascular services.

Learn more about our emergency care.

To determine if a person is at risk for stroke, Edward-Elmhurst offers an online StrokeAware test.

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