Failures and successes in a stroke program.

Failures and Successes in a Stroke Program • The activities toward stroke prevention and improving stroke care at Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center of Portland, Oregon, for the past ten years are described. The program was multifaceted and included a stroke clinic, a stroke care unit, a course for nurses from throughout the state of Oregon and southwestern Washington, panel discussions and exhibits about stroke care, an educational program for families of stroke patients and satellite clinics at two small communities in Oregon. The presence of this program changed the percentage of patients with strokes of equal severity going home from 13% to 58% at Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center and no similar trend could be detected in five other hospitals in Portland during a comparable period. The evaluation of the program revealed that a team approach to stroke care in a special unit improved the care of stroke patients throughout the hospital and was effective in bringing the family into an active role in rehabilitation and patient care. The program also achieved educational goals. Additional