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Performance
Two centres awarded Stroke Distinction
 QUEBEC CITY –Two
Canadian stroke services – the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and the
Calgary Stroke Program – are the first in Canada to earn Stroke Services
Distinction from Accreditation Canada. Stroke Services Distinction is
awarded to health organizations that meet or exceed the best standards
of stroke care.
The announcement was made at the Canadian Stroke Congress. “This is a
significant achievement for these two institutions and an important step
in formalizing the implementation of stroke best practice in the
Canadian healthcare system,” said Dr. Antoine Hakim (pictured), CEO and
Scientific Director of the Canadian Stroke Network. Stroke Services
Distinction is the first disease-specific accreditation program in
Canada.
It was developed by Accreditation Canada and the Canadian Stroke Network
to recognize leadership, clinical excellence, and innovation in stroke
care.
The highly specialized standards, developed in consultation with
stakeholders from across the continuum of care, are based on the
Canadian Stroke Strategy’s Canadian Best Practice Recommendations for
Stroke Care (2008).
As part of the process, healthcare centres undergo a rigorous on-site
review conducted by experts who have extensive practical experience in
the field of stroke. The Distinction program is available to accredited
clients of Accreditation Canada.
“Stroke Services Distinction gives healthcare centres an opportunity to
look at areas of strength and areas where they can improve stroke
services,” says Dr. Patrice Lindsay, the Canadian Stroke Network’s
performance and standards specialist. “It makes institutions accountable
for the stroke care they provide.”
“We are excited and honoured to be one of the first stroke
rehabilitation programs in Canada to achieve Stroke Services Distinction
from Accreditation Canada,” says Dr. Mark Bayley, medical director of
the Neuro Rehabilitation Program at Toronto Rehab. “We are always
striving for excellence and improved outcomes for our stroke patients,
and it is so important to have peers from outside the organization
assess how we measure up against best practice standards.”
Michael Suddes, manager of the Calgary Stroke Program, Alberta Health
Services, says, “We are proud to be associated with an accreditation
program that focuses on the importance of innovation and the quality of
care we provide to people affected by stroke. It has given us a way to
look at our stroke services as a whole system. I see this program as a
milestone in the ongoing management of stroke care at the provincial and
national levels.”
Wendy Nicklin, President and CEO of Accreditation Canada, sees
Distinction as a catalyst to mobilize the excellent work of the Canadian
Stroke Strategy across the country.
“This program covers the continuum of care from prevention to
rehabilitation. We expect it will contribute to closing the gap between
what is known about high-quality stroke care and how it is applied, to
the benefit of the over 50,000 Canadians who have a stroke each year and
the 300,000 who are living with the effects of this devastating
illness.”
Accreditation Canada (www.accreditation.ca)
is a not-for-profit, independent organization that provides national and
international health and social service organizations with an external
peer review to assess the quality of their services against standards of
excellence. Accredited by the International Society for Quality in
Healthcare, Accreditation Canada’s programs and guidance have helped
thousands of organizations strive for excellence since 1958
The Canadian Stroke Network is a national research network,
headquartered at the University of Ottawa, which brings together
university and hospital-based researchers from across Canada. Its aim is
to reduce the impact of stroke by promoting excellence in stroke
prevention, treatment and recovery.
Posted June 17, 2010
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