Assessing the readiness of hospitals in Riyadh Province for efficient and timely stroke management: A pilot study

Abstract

The data were analyzed using SPSS version 21.0. Appropriate statistical tests )chi-square and Fisher's exact test( were used for bivariate analyses.Results: A total of 3932 stroke patient visits were recorded in 37 hospitals in the central region of Saudi Arabia. The most common limitations of acute stroke services were that 25 )67.57%( of the hospitals had no stroke unit and 21 )56.76%( had inadequate clinical staff. Magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography were available in 32 )86.49%( and 36 )97.30%( hospitals, respectively. Only two-thirds of hospitals 25 )67.57%( followed protocols for rapid Emergency Department )ED( triage. Conclusion:We found that most of our hospitals were not fully prepared to address acute stroke management in a manner that was reasonably consistent with international guidelines. We recommend raising the hospital's requirements a higher level to be in line with the stroke guidelines.