It is available for download in the iTunes App Store and on Google Play.
By measuring, for example, a patient’s ability to squeeze and release a hand or make facial expressions—physical indicators of an emergent large vessel occlusion—stroke scales help first responders determine the best course of action for the patient. Using this information, the app then recommends the type of facility where the patient should be taken for appropriate treatment.
The app has earned great reviews, including from a stroke lead at a hospital who wrote, “I recently downloaded the Stroke Scales for EMS app and have found it very useful.”
Thousands of severe stroke patients who could survive instead face death or permanent disability. Why? They lack access to stroke systems of care that prioritize quality of care over proximity to care.
Less than 10 percent of severe stroke patients are transported to a neuroendovascular-ready (Level 1) stroke center. This means that patients end up at hospitals that don’t have the personnel or equipment to treat their complex condition. Time — and brain cells — lost in transfer to facilities that provide appropriate care often leads to death or disability.
When you arrive on the scene of a terrible car accident, you know where to take those who have experienced severe trauma.
Stroke is a trauma of the brain, making it essential for those patients to reach a Level 1 center as soon as possible. And you are on the front line.
Policies and regulations that guide EMS triage and transport of stroke patients vary widely by state. In most states, no clear protocol exists to ensure a stroke patient goes directly to a Level 1 stroke center.
We want to change that.
The Get Ahead of Stroke campaign is working on the ground in states to enact protocols that would make it possible for EMS personnel to diagnose stroke severity in the field and take patients directly to a Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3 stroke center when the patient requires specialized care.
Already, we have made progress in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Ohio, Tennessee and Massachusetts, helping thousands of people get to the critical care they need, without delay.
Shouldn’t your state be next?
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Get Ahead of Stroke® is a national public education and advocacy campaign designed to improve systems of care for stroke patients. Founded in 2016 by the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS), today the campaign is supported by a coalition of organizations with the goal of securing the best possible outcomes for stroke patients by driving policy change and public awareness nationwide.
