Our Neuro Alert process will change starting March 2 to improve care and achieve Joint Commission Certified Primary Stroke Center status.
The name is changing from Neuro Alert to Stroke Alert to reflect the urgency of this condition and the importance of symptoms. Flow changes will also begin — in emergency and inpatient departments.
In the ED — When amedic or nurse identifies a patient with stroke-like symptoms meeting certain criteria, they will notify the PFC who will page a field activation Stroke Alert. This will be confirmed by an ED provider and then paged out to a larger group of resources as a confirmed Stroke Alert. This is similar to the process used for STEMI patients. In the ED, the patient needs to be at CT for imaging within 20 minutes of arrival to the department, whether arriving through triage or by medic.
For inpatients —If you or other bedside team members notice new onset stroke-like symptoms, you will notify Rapid Response Team. RRT will come to bedside and evaluate your patient to confirm the symptoms and then notify switchboard. Upon RRT notifying switchboard of a confirmed Stroke Alert, a larger group of resources will be paged (including the attending provider, intensivist, on-call neurologist, CT, and house supervisor, among others).
Please know that RRT will be working quickly once they arrive to the bedside and the stroke symptoms are confirmed. Joint Commission Primary Stroke Center requirements include the patient be at CT for imaging within 20 minutes of the new deficit being noted by you, the staff and volunteers of Salem Health.
If you have any questions, or would like additional information, please email the RN Stroke Navigator, Jarrelle Harper-Waldorf, at jarrelle.harperwaldorf@salemhealth.org.