Tele-Stroke Sims at UAB Highlands

Proper and timely stroke assessment and care is critical to successful patient outcomes. The stroke teams at UAB understand this. UAB eMedicine is implementing a Tele-Stroke program to advance the quality of care during and after a stroke. This innovative care option provides 24/7 access to a UAB Credentialed Vascular Neurologist who will consult with the UAB care team and make treatment decisions together. 

UAB Stroke program coordinators identified a need to reinforce the Tele-stroke process, including recognition and initial escalation by activating the code stroke process. Their objectives are to ensure stroke metrics are met and patients receive treatment within the appropriate timeframes.  

After planning meetings, reviewing objectives, and a detailed walk-thru, UAB Clinical Simulation and Perioperative Leadership hosted an early morning in situ simulation to test the health system’s response to a Code Stroke in the Highlands Preop/PACU areas. After the simulation, the team participated in a debrief to discuss what was working well and what may need adjustment. This discussion is a critical piece to the simulation process and allows the team to review the system that is being “tested” and make process adjustments based on their experience. 

The team found the experience valuable. Cammie Shoemaker, Quality Improvement Manager for the Comprehensive Neurovascular & Stroke Center, commented that this event “was conducted to improve staff/provider knowledge for responding to and managing stroke codes, and it was received favorably by the entire team.” One learner commented, “I appreciate (Clinical Simulation) and the stroke team. Y’all are great and [we] love working with you.”   

The stroke team is already working with Clinical Simulation to plan more simulations across the health system. A Tele-Stroke simulation just may be coming to a unit near you! 

Do you have a new process or system that you would like to simulate before implementation? Contact us at simulation@uabmc.edu and we can have a chat about whether sim is right for you.