Published: Aug. 9, 2016
Research involving the Sparrow stroke team has been published in a prestigious national medical journal.
The research – conducted by Sparrow stroke team members Marylou Mitchell, MSN, RN, and former Sparrow Stroke Medical Director Syed Hussain, M.D., the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and Michigan State University – confirms that acute stroke Patients who are transferred to Michigan stroke registry hospitals have more complex diagnoses and have poorer outcomes than those who go directly to those hospitals.
“Characteristics and Outcomes of Stroke Patients Transferred to Hospitals Participating in the Michigan Coverdell Acute Stroke Registry” appeared in a recent edition of the American Heart Association journal, Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
Mat Reeves, Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at MSU and lead author of the study, explained, “The research indicates that Patients transferred to registry hospitals were more likely to die in hospital and to develop complications compared to Patients who arrived directly to these hospitals. Some of these differences were explained by the higher risk profile of the transferred Patients – particularly, greater stroke severity for ischemic stroke Patients.”
The study deepens the understanding of the characteristics of stroke Patients who undergo hospital transfer. A better understanding of the risk profile of transferred Patients allows hospital teams the opportunity to provide optimal care.
“We pride ourselves in being a leader in developing treatments and procedures to produce better outcomes for our Patients,” said Anmar Razak, M.D., Medical Director of the Sparrow Stroke Center. “When our Caregivers’ work is embraced by such a respected journal in the medical world it shows that Sparrow is a leader in clinical research, too.”
Sparrow is the first hospital in Michigan to be designated as a Comprehensive Stroke Center by The Joint Commission. The designation – given to an elite network of facilities nationwide – recognizes centers that make exceptional efforts toward delivering the best care possible.
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