San Francisco-based Dignity Health has expanded its northern California telestroke network to two additional hospitals, St. Elizabeth Community Hospital in Red Bluff, Calif., and Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta (Calif.).
The telestroke network connects patients at these hospitals with specialists at Dignity Health Neurological Institute in Sacramento. Through secure two-way videoconferencing, the Dignity neurologist is able to zoom in on the patient, talk with the patient, family and local emergency department clinicians and recommend a treatment plan.
The treatment plan can include the clot-busting tissue plasminogen activator, which has been shown to dramatically improve outcomes following a certain type of stroke. Upon diagnosis from a telestoke neurologist, ED nurses at the member hospitals are now certified to administer the powerful drug.
The telestroke network is designed to provide appropriate care as quickly as possible for stroke patients in the region. "Being able to rapidly assess stroke patients is critical, because 'time is brain,'" said Lisa Bennett, Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta's emergency services director, in a news release. "It's amazing what telestroke means for both the patient and their family. It's like the neurologist is right there in the room."
More Articles on Telestroke:
UT Southwestern Launches Telestroke Program
10 Most-Read Telehealth Stories
3 Common Barriers to Telestroke Programs