Building networks and improving the quality of stroke treatment

Stroke has become one of the leading causes of death and disability. Emergency and stroke treatment require close and synchronous coordination between medical levels. Therefore, building a network and improving the quality of stroke treatment in Da Nang is an urgent matter today.

The City Emergency Center coordinated with emergency forces to promptly rescue a fisherman who suffered a stroke while working at sea. Photo: CC

Dr. Le Duc Nhan, Director of Da Nang Hospital, said that each year, Da Nang Hospital receives more than 6,000 stroke cases; in which the proportion of young people (under 40 years old) is increasing. In addition to focusing on applying advanced techniques in emergency, treatment, care and rehabilitation for patients, the hospital focuses on training and transferring techniques to medical centers and health stations to be able to detect early and provide first aid for stroke patients...

Dr. Ngo Thi Phuong Thao, Deputy Director in charge of the City Emergency Center, said that in recent years, the unit has effectively implemented out-of-hospital emergency activities for stroke patients; as well as the pre-hospital emergency procedure for severe strokes. When receiving calls from people, the 115 emergency switchboard staff always focus on exploiting signs to screen and dispatch the vehicle as quickly as possible. When approaching a stroke patient, the emergency staff will conduct initial first aid, stabilize vital functions; at the same time, connect with the Stroke Department, Da Nang Hospital to implement the out-of-hospital and in-hospital red alert procedure; helping patients shorten the out-of-hospital time, while still in the "golden time"...

“Currently, the biggest difficulty in stroke emergency care is that the city is too large, while the emergency network is limited. Patients from remote areas when brought to Da Nang Hospital also have to wait 3-4 hours, which will pass the “golden time”.

In particular, after the merger, the old Quang Nam region only had 3 emergency stations in Tam Ky, Nui Thanh and Quang Nam General Hospital. Therefore, building an effective stroke treatment network suitable for local conditions is an urgent task, contributing to improving the quality of health care for the people," Dr. Thao shared.

Doctors from the Stroke Department (Da Nang Hospital) guide rehabilitation for a child with a stroke. Photo: LE HUNG

According to Dr. Le Duc Nhan, the stroke treatment network will follow the process of pre-hospital emergency care, in-hospital treatment and rehabilitation. In particular, it will focus on improving stroke awareness in the community, building and perfecting the emergency system; establishing a mobile stroke unit (MSU). At the same time, optimizing comprehensive stroke treatment hospitals, moving towards building a specialized stroke center to create a professional fulcrum; developing multidisciplinary rehabilitation in the city's health system...

“Instead of having to transfer patients from remote areas to the city center, which takes a lot of time and can easily miss the “golden hour”, we will bring knowledge, equipment and people closer to the patient. Shorten the emergency time, increase the patient’s survival and recovery chances”, Dr. Nhan shared.

According to Dr. Tran Thanh Thuy, Director of the Department of Health, one of the factors for the success of the stroke treatment network is inter-hospital cooperation. Only when hospitals, medical centers, and 115 emergency units coordinate, share information, provide professional support, and promptly transfer patients can we ensure that patients have access to optimal treatment at the right time.

According to Dr. Nguyen Trong Khoa, Deputy Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management (Ministry of Health), Da Nang has the advantage of having implemented a project to increase out-of-hospital emergency care, with modern equipment, helping to reach patients as quickly as possible, shortening the time for patients to reach the right treatment facilities in the right place during the "golden time"... If the construction of the network and improvement of the quality of stroke treatment in Da Nang has good results, the Ministry of Health will consider this a model to replicate nationwide, to meet the needs of the people.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/xay-dung-mang-luoi-va-nang-cao-chat-luong-dieu-tri-dot-quy-3311430.html