RAPID access to lifesaving stroke treatment is now available at Mount Gambier Hospital, with patients able to access specialist stroke services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The city’s hospital is among three regional hospitals offering 24-hour stroke services, improving outcomes for country patients who suffer a stroke.
Appointed as Mount Gambier Hospital’s stroke nurse, Liza Hofma said the service redesign would improve clarity of support arrangements between country and metropolitan hospitals, ensuring local stroke patients are assessed by expert medical staff sooner.
“It is a collaborative process between the ambulance service, general practitioners, the team in the emergency department and hospitals in Adelaide – we are working from our end to optimise the system here to improve outcomes for local patients,” Ms Hofma said.
“From the moment the symptoms of stroke become apparent, we have only around four-and-a-half hours to adequately diagnose and treat the patient.”
The service improvement, which was also implemented at Riverland General Hospital in Berri and Whyalla Hospital and Health Service, involved changes to ambulance protocols in order to fast track access to stroke services for eligible patients.
Ms Hofma said prompt transfer to any stroke service was vital, given different types of strokes require different treatments and treatments can only occur following medical assessment and brain
scanning.
Most strokes occur due to a blood clot preventing blood flow to the brain and in some patients this clot can be removed by a treatment called reperfusion therapy, which uses medication to break down clots and remove the blockage to blood flow to the brain.
The streamlined 24-hour stroke services will improve access to reperfusion therapy for country patients.
Health Minister Peter Malinauskas said the State Government was committed to continually improving access to health services for patients in regional areas.
“Extending access to specialist stroke services at the state’s three largest country general hospitals is good news for patients and their loved ones,” he said.
“Now, more country stroke patients will be able to access specialised stroke care closer to home.
“Patients experiencing stroke symptoms who are located near Mount Gambier, Berri and Whyalla will be taken directly to the closest stroke service, while patients experiencing stroke symptoms in areas that surround metropolitan Adelaide will continue to be taken directly to one of the three stroke units in Adelaide.
“Prompt transfer to any of the stroke services – either in country South Australia or metropolitan Adelaide – enables clinical teams to start stroke treatments that limit stroke expansion, prevent stroke recurrence, reduce complications and start early rehabilitation.”
Medical services acting executive director Dr David Rosenthal said the improved service was evidence of Country Health SA’s commitment to improving patient care for people across regional South Australia.
“Clinical teams at the stroke services in Mount Gambier, Berri and Whyalla will continue to liaise with the specialist stroke teams in Adelaide for support to undertake timely reperfusion therapy where this can be safely performed and organise a transfer to Adelaide if further acute treatment is required, for example a clot retrieval,” Mr Rosenthal said.
“The early recognition of a patient with stroke symptoms, using tools such as FAST (Face Arm Speech Time) is vital and members of the community who suspect someone is suffering stroke symptoms should immediately call 000.”
