​Stroke & Rehabilitation

RVH is home to the Enhanced District Stroke Centre which includes RVH clinical stroke services and broader regional planning responsibilities (Central East Stroke Network). As an Enhanced District Stroke Centre, we are the only health centre in Simcoe County who provide the clot busting drug tPA for acute ischemic stroke. If eligible, tPA can minimize disability associated with stroke.

Guiding Principles

• • Provide patient and family centered care that reflects the RVH MY CARE strategic plan
• • Provide care that reflects the Canadian Best Practice Recommendations for Stroke Care
• • Value roles and perspectives of patients and families in the recovery journey
• • Provide care that is compassionate while inspiring hope and instilling trust for patients and families
• • Think big and work together with patients and families to maximize recovery and optimize quality of life
• • Provide leadership and collaborate with our community partners in advancing stroke care within Simcoe County, North Simcoe Muskoka Local Health Integrated Network (NSN LHIN), and the Central East Stroke Region

Goals & Objectives

• RVH provides cross continuum stroke services through hyperacute, acute and rehabilitation
  (inpatient and out-patient) and stroke prevention services. Across these settings, the overarching goals of the stroke program are to:
  
• • Provide best practice stroke care that is supported by clinical pathways, validated assessments and comprehensive care planning that reflects the Canadian Best Practice Recommendations for Stroke Care
• • Conduct timely interprofessional assessment of all patients admitted using validated assessment tools
• to own our clinical practice and ensure stroke care expertise within the interprofessional team through annual maintenance of stroke care competencies
• • Work together with families and caregivers to address individualized education and information needs;
• • Work together with our community partners to achieve smooth transitions across the stroke care continuum, ensuring quality and timely care in the right setting

Hyper-acute (Emergency phase) –Our goals are to:

• • Provide timely access to appropriate assessment, screening and diagnostic testing that meets
  Canadian Best Practice Recommendations for Stroke Care (Hyperacute Standards- Section 3.0)

• • Provide thrombolysis (t-PA) to eligible patients within 60 minutes of arrival to RVH Emergency Department
  • Refer all non-admitted patients with Transient Ischemic Attacks/mild strokes to the RVH Stroke Prevention Clinic

Acute Care- Our goals are:

• • Complete nursing admission assessments, Falls Risk and Pressure Ulcer Risk assessments within
  24 hour
• • Complete interprofessional team assessments on all patients with stroke within 48 hours of admission
• • Conduct comprehensive assessments using validated assessment tools
• • Minimize complications of stroke through the use of evidence based care pathways, validated screening tools and comprehensive care planning
• • Initiate referral to vascular surgery for consideration of carotid endarterectomy
• to initiate secondary stroke prevention through education, self- management and healthy lifestyle support, risk factor management
• • Complete the Alpha Functional Independence Measure (Alpha FIM®) on all patients on day 3 of admission to support triage to the most appropriate care setting within the recommended time frames
• • Access stroke prevention services for medical optimization

Rehabilitation - Our goals are to:

• • Work together with patients and their families
• • Provide best practice interprofessional rehabilitation, tailored to individual needs and functional goals;
• • Empower patients and families to be active partners in the rehabilitation journey and goal setting process;
• • Facilitate seamless transitions to the community through comprehensive and inclusive discharge planning with the interprofessional team
• • Ensure effective communication and linkages between the Integrated Stroke Unit, the Rehabilitation Day Program and the North Simcoe Muskoka Community Care Access Centre (NSM CCAC)
• • Our discharge planning processes and evaluate the effectiveness of transitions through post discharge phone calls

Community Reintegration – Our goals are to:

• • Provide patient and families with information about NSM CCAC, community rehabilitation and other community resources, facilitate linkages and initiate referrals
• • Offer eligible patients timely access to hospital based outpatient inter-professional stroke rehabilitation through the Rehabilitation Day Program
• • Work together with community partners to facilitate ongoing self-management, health promotion and successful community reintegration and lifelong recovery for patients and their families
• • Think big and work together with our community partners to address current gaps in stroke care within Simcoe County, NSM LHIN and Central East Stroke Region

Stroke Prevention Clinic

• • Provide early access to multidisciplinary assessment, diagnostic testing, treatment, and referral for patients who have been identified at high risk for stroke
• • Provide education on lifestyle and vascular risk management, stroke prevention and warning signs
  for stroke
• • Facilitate linkages to community programs including community exercise programs and cardiovascular rehabilitation for secondary prevention and chronic disease management

Signs of Stroke: