Ontario stroke mortality rate lowest ever: Stroke Report Cards

01/06/2016

Ontario’s stroke mortality in 2015 was the lowest rate ever reported, making the province a leading jurisdiction worldwide in the prevention of stroke mortality.

“This is fantastic news,” said Cardiac Care Network (CCN), stroke services executive director Chris O’Callaghan. “The risk of dying within thirty days of a stroke has gone down from 11.7 per 100 patients in 2014 to 10.6 in 2015, almost a 10 per cent decrease, translating to more than 60 fewer deaths annually. More Ontarians are surviving a stroke and are receiving the rehabilitation services they need to achieve optimal recovery,” she said.

The finding of improved mortality rates was part of a comprehensive evaluation of the province’s stroke care system by the Ontario Stroke Network (OSN). The OSN and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) today released a Stroke Report Card that compares the level of access and treatment of people who suffer strokes across the province, showing that the majority of indicators and benchmarks have improved since the previous three-year performance study.

Each Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) received its own detailed report card, which shows the progress being made, and will be used to review gaps and identify solutions that will further enhance the stroke care system. A first in Canada, the OSN & ICES stroke report cards, introduced in 2011, grade the delivery of care for each of Ontario’s 14 LHINs, providing data on stroke care and service, both regionally and provincially.

“The Stroke Report Cards have been critical in measuring performance and driving improvements in stroke care, resulting in improved patient outcomes at the LHIN level,” said Dr. Mark Bayley. “The report cards show that patient flow improved as reflected in reduced wait times for transitions, better access to specialized stroke units and improved access and efficiency of rehabilitative care.”

Significant progress has been made towards helping to drive improvements in stroke prevention and care in Ontario. Provincially, the report card shows improvement in 14 of 16 indicators, compared to the previous three years. Additionally, 10 of 14 benchmarks have also improved.

Andrea Guth, program director for Waterloo-Wellington Local Health Integrated Network (LHIN) Integrated Stroke Program said the report cards also show that provincial trend is moving towards more equitable access across the province for rehab services. “The province is doing a lot of work right now in ensuring that stroke patients are not waiting to get into rehabilitation,” said Guth. “What we have done here in Waterloo-Wellington is to introduce a policy that people receiving treatment for stroke cannot be refused for rehabilitation.”

O’Callaghan said that the CCN will continue its vital collaboration with Ontario’s 11 Regional Stroke Networks to align operating plans, education, knowledge translation approaches and implementation strategies to advance access to best practices and work with ICES to continually improve the report card process and outcome indicators.

About Cardiac Care Network of Ontario - As of April 1, 2016, the OSN and CCN have come together as a single entity to ensure a comprehensive and integrated approach to cardiac, vascular and stroke care in Ontario. The CCN is a system support to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC), Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs), hospitals, and care providers dedicated to improving quality, efficiency, access and equity in the delivery of the continuum of cardiovascular services in Ontario. In addition to helping plan, coordinate, implement and evaluate cardiovascular care in Ontario, CCN is responsible for developing, maintaining and reporting on the provincial cardiac and vascular registries. In the role of monitoring and enhancing quality of cardiac and vascular services in Ontario, CCN develops strategies, based on best practices, to better manage cardiovascular disease across the continuum of care, including strategies to prevent acute hospital re-admissions, decrease demand on emergency departments and decrease the need for initial and repeat procedures. The Cardiac Care Network of Ontario is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

The Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) is an independent, non-profit organization that uses population-based health information to produce knowledge on a broad range of healthcare issues. Our unbiased evidence provides measures of health system performance, a clearer understanding of the shifting healthcare needs of Ontarians, and a stimulus for discussion of practical solutions to optimize scarce resources. ICES knowledge is highly regarded in Canada and abroad, and is widely used by government, hospitals, planners, and practitioners to make decisions about care delivery and to develop policy. For the latest ICES news, follow us on Twitter: ICESOntario

The Stroke Month 2016 website is www.ontariostrokenetwork.ca/strokemonth2016.

REPORT CARDS NOW ONLINE
The OSN Stroke Report Cards are now online.