Improving stroke pathway efficiency: outcomes of a quality improvement collaborative across a national stroke network.

Background: Timely endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) is crucial for improving outcomes in acute ischemic stroke (AIS). This study evaluated the effectiveness of a national quality improvement collaborative (QIC) in reducing process times for potential EVT candidates across a national stroke network.

Methods: A pre-post intervention design using a modified Breakthrough Series approach was implemented across 24 hospitals. Multidisciplinary teams participated in monthly learning sessions and action periods focused on reducing 'Door to Decision' (time from hospital arrival to EVT decision) to under 30 min. Mixed-effects linear models and mixed-effects ANOVA were used to analyse the impact of the QI program on Door to Decision and Door to CT times, comparing intervention and control cohorts.

Results: The QI program significantly reduced Door to Decision time in the intervention cohort by 15.9% (p<0.001) from a mean of 92.8 min to 78.9 min. Door to CT time also decreased by 15.6% (p<0.001). No significant changes were observed in the control cohort. Mixed-ANOVA revealed a significant interaction effect for both Door to Decision (p<0.004) and Door to CT (p<0.04), indicating that the QI program impacted these times as compared with the control group. The QIC effectively improved the efficiency of stroke care pathways across a national stroke network. This effect was sustained across the network and over time. This success was facilitated by a bottom-up approach, fostering collaboration and shared learning within and across hospitals.

Conclusions: This study demonstrates the effectiveness of a collaborative, network-wide QI program in reducing critical process times for AIS patients. Continued efforts to sustain these improvements and optimize stroke care pathways are warranted.