Stroke unit care and outcome: results from the 2001 National Sentinel Audit of Stroke (England, Wales, and Northern Ireland).

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Stroke unit care is one of the most powerful interventions available to help stroke patients. There are limited data available to assess the impact of stroke units in routine clinical practice outside randomized clinical trials. This article uses data from the 2001 to 2002 National Stroke Audit to assess the effectiveness of stroke unit care in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland in delivering effective processes of care and in reducing case fatality and disability.

METHODS: An observational study of the organization, structure, process of care, and outcomes for stroke in 2001. Case fatality after stroke in England was compared using data from the audit and routinely collected data from the Department of Health. 240 hospitals (196 Trusts) from England, Wales, and Northern Ireland took part in the 2001 to 2002 National Stroke Audit, a response rate of >95%. These sites assessed a total of 8200 patients using the Royal College of Physicians Intercollegiate Working Party Stroke Audit Tool.

RESULTS: The availability of stroke unit care varies hugely across the country. Case fatality after stroke was higher in Trusts with least availability of stroke unit care. These differences persisted after control for case mix. The process of care was better for patients managed on stroke units compared with other settings. Overall, the risk of death for patients who received stroke unit care was estimated to be approximately 75% that of the risk for those having no stroke unit care (95% CI, 60 to 90).

CONCLUSIONS: Stroke unit care as provided in routine clinical practice in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland reduces case fatality by approximately 25%, which is in line with the figures obtained from systematic analysis of stroke unit trial data.