Transforming Stroke Care: How the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Registry Drives Excellence in Patient Outcomes
Introduction to GWTG-Stroke
The battle against stroke, a leading cause of disability and death, demands relentless commitment and advanced strategies. The Get With The Guidelines-Stroke (GWTG-Stroke) program stands at the forefront of this battle. This registry is more than a database; it’s an initiative guiding healthcare facilities in improving stroke care through adherence to evidence-based guidelines.
Through its strategic focus on data-driven methodologies and quality improvement, GWTG-Stroke is not just a tool—it’s a transformative force in the healthcare landscape. It stands as a testament to how structured, data-driven interventions can significantly enhance patient outcomes, making every second count in the critical hours of stroke treatment. In this article, we delve into how the GWTG-Stroke Registry is redefining stroke care, driving excellence, and setting new benchmarks in patient outcomes across healthcare settings.
⏰ 7 min read
Published on January 10, 2024
Data-Driven PI: Enhancing Stroke Care Through GWTG Insights
GWTG-Stroke is a revolutionary patient management tool, harnessing the power of data to usher in advancements in stroke treatment. Providing a centralized repository for analyzing patient records related to stroke, the registry helps healthcare organizations fine-tune treatment strategies, ensuring that each arrival at the hospital leads to optimized care, aligning with the American Heart Association guidelines.
The efficacy of the GWTG-Stroke Registry is demonstrated in numerous healthcare settings. Hospitals across the nation, by integrating the GWTG-Stroke measures into their protocols, have witnessed substantial improvements in patient outcomes. These studies illuminate the path from following AHA GWTG Stroke protocols to achieving notable enhancements in stroke recovery and survival rates, underscoring the registry’s role in quality improvement in health care.
A 2016 study featured in the AHA journal Stroke revealed that hospitals implementing the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke program showed significant improvements in patient outcomes compared to non-participating hospitals. These improvements included higher rates of patients being discharged to their homes and lower mortality rates at both 30 days and 1 year. While rehospitalization rates didn’t show a significant change, the program led to accelerated enhancements in discharge and mortality outcomes, particularly in the early and sustained periods of program implementation. For every 1,000 ischemic stroke patients treated under the GWTG-Stroke program, there were 12 more discharges to home and 34 fewer deaths at 1 year compared to non-participating hospitals.
Case Study: Overcoming Staffing Challenges in GWTG-Stroke Implementation
But despite the potential gains from GWTG-Stroke participation, some hospitals find it challenging, to put it lightly, to keep up with all the data collection requirements or recommendations.
Consider our real-world scenario: A sizable Minnesota hospital system, grappling with an unexpected staff turnover, was overwhelmed with a backlog of GWTG-STK cases. Given the role GWTG Stroke measures can play in accreditation requirements, missing deadlines can have significant repercussions.
ADN mobilized a team of five abstractors. Within just a few weeks, the daunting backlog was cleared, just in time for the March 30th deadline.
The pain point was evident: The palpable anxiety and stress around staffing a process that’s mandated by state and accreditation standards. Yet, ADN was able to demonstrate its ability in such a situation. Our team’s intervention provided not just a solution, but peace of mind rooted in dependability despite fluctuating workloads.
Compliance and Recognition: Achieving Excellence in Stroke Care
Participation in the GWTG-Stroke program is synonymous with adhering to the latest stroke treatment standards. This compliance translates into prestigious recognitions and awards that can serve as a testament to a hospital’s dedication to quality measures and outstanding patient care.
The Get With The Guidelines-Stroke program offers several recognition awards for hospitals, emphasizing their commitment to stroke care quality and guideline adherence. These awards are categorized into Achievement Awards, Quality Awards, Target: Stroke Recognition, and Target: Type 2 Diabetes.
Achievement Awards:
Bronze: Recognizes 90 consecutive days of performance.
Silver: Acknowledges 12 consecutive months of performance.
Gold: For performance of 24 consecutive months or more.
Hospitals must demonstrate at least 85% compliance in seven key achievement measures, such as timely administration of IV thrombolysis and antithrombotics, VTE prophylaxis, smoking cessation advice, and intensive statin therapy at discharge.
Quality Awards:
Silver Plus and Gold Plus Quality Awards: These are advanced levels of recognition for consistent compliance with Quality Measures within the registry tool. The criteria for these awards can change based on program enhancements.
Target: Stroke Recognition:
Hospitals can achieve recognition through four distinct levels of the Target: Stroke Honor Roll, each level requiring at least six eligible patients:
Target: Stroke Honor Roll: Achieved when 75% of qualified patients have door-to-needle times of 60 minutes or less.
Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite: Attained when 85% of eligible patients have door-to-needle times of 60 minutes or less.
Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus: Granted when 75% of eligible patients have door-to-needle times of 45 minutes or less, and 50% have times of 30 minutes or less.
Target: Stroke Honor Roll Advanced Therapy: Awarded when 50% of suitable patients have door-to-device times of 90 minutes or less for directly arriving patients and 60 minutes or less for transferred patients, within specific time frames.
Target: Type 2 Diabetes:
This recognition focuses on the management of stroke patients with diabetes, requiring at least 80% compliance for 12 consecutive months.
Key criteria include:
IV Thrombolytics Arrive by 3.5 hours / Treat by 4.5 hours
Early Antithrombotics for Patients With Diabetes
VTE Prophylaxis
Antithrombotic Prescribed at Discharge
Anticoagulation Prescribed for AFib/AFlutter at Discharge
Smoking Cessation
Intensive Statin Prescribed at Discharge
Diabetes Treatment
Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) Recommendations at Discharge
Antihyperglycemic Medication With Proven CVD Benefit
These awards reflect the hospital’s adherence to evidence-based treatments for stroke and its complications, including diabetes, and their commitment to providing high-quality stroke care.
Conclusion
For those at the helm of quality improvement in health care, the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Registry offers a pathway to elevate stroke treatment standards. We urge healthcare leaders to consider embracing this program. By doing so, you align with a national movement dedicated to improving patient outcomes and set a new benchmark in improving stroke care.
Discover more about how your institution can make a pivotal difference in stroke care by visiting the GWTG-Stroke website.
