Stroke

Stroke requires the health care system to work effectively to provide the best care possible; this means getting patients to the right place, at the right time and for the right care.

Stroke Services BC works together with partners in B.C. and across Canada to enable the best possible outcomes for people experiencing stroke. This includes supporting health care professionals to implement stroke best practices through the development and dissemination of evidence-based information, education and other resources across the province.

Education & development

The following conferences and professional development opportunities are excellent ways to learn about leading-edge research and stroke service delivery:

Annual stroke conferences

Specialty certifications

Certification in Stroke Rehabilitation: this online, graduate-level credit certificate from the University of Alberta is an inter-disciplinary stroke rehabilitation program designed to address the learning needs of rehabilitation clinicians across the continuum of care.
Canadian Physiotherapy Association (CPA) Clinical Specialty: this program certifies physiotherapists who have focused their careers in a specific area of physiotherapy clinical practice, including neurosciences.

General training

Hemispheres Training: this multi-level, interactive, comprehensive, web based educational series develops stroke competency and is designed to train all levels.
Stroke Core Competencies for Health and Social Care Staff - NHS Education for Scotland: this website is a multidisciplinary resource covering a wide range of core knowledge and skills required by all staff when delivering stroke care. Stroke Training and Awareness Resources (STARS) is an e-learning resource which enables health and social care staff to become more knowledgeable and skilful in the challenging area of stroke care.
University of Calgary Acute Stroke Care E-learning Modules: this acute stroke care e-learning portal offers e-learning modules for all types of health care professionals.

Training on specific tools

BC Emergency Health Services Hot Stroke FAST-VAN Assessment Tool: Learning Hub course 17828 provides information for BCEHS paramedics to assess Hot Strokes, including identifying potential large vessel occlusions. It also provides information on levels of stroke care available in British Columbia and a brief overview of the evidence of treatment for stroke patients.
AlphaFIM: the AlphaFIM is an assessment that can be done in acute care to support decision making around discharge disposition, and to guide triage decisions around stroke rehabilitation. Training is supported and organized by SSBC, and conducted by CIHI.
National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS): NIHSS is an acute assessment scale used by physicians and other healthcare professionals to measure neurological impairment caused by stroke.
Modified Rankin Scale (mRS): mRS is a functional assessment scale used for assessing disability in people who have suffered a stroke or other causes of neurological disability.

Clinical practice resources

Clinical resources

Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations (CSBPR)
CSBPR provide current stroke evidence-based guidelines for stroke prevention and management. Each section is reviewed and updated bi-annually. This site also includes a variety of quality documents, professional resources, and patient and family resources.

Stroke Engine
Stroke Engine provides information and evidence for stroke assessments and interventions as well as information about stroke consequences.

Evidence Based Review of Stroke Rehabilitation (EBRSR)
The EBRSR provides in-depth reviews of over 4500 studies in the area of stroke rehabilitation.

Professional organizations

Canadian Association of Neuroscience Nurses (CANN)
CANN supports stroke nursing expertise in a variety of ways including regular provincial and national education opportunities.

Canadian Stroke Consortium (CSC)
The CSC is a professional association for physicians interested in stroke; associate members also represent other disciplines involved in stroke prevention and treatment. The association is committed to reducing the burden of stroke through the translation of clinical research into clinical practice. They have a number of valuable tools and resources and lead the design and implementation of clinical research activities and educational initiatives that contribute to reducing the burden of stroke on Canadians.

Community rehabilitation programs

Fitness and Mobility Exercise Program (FAME)
FAME is a group exercise program for people after stroke. It has been shown to improve motor function, cardiovascular fitness, and bone density of people living with stroke.

Together in Movement and Exercise (TIME)
TIME is a community-based program welcoming people with balance and mobility challenges to exercise. The group exercise program is developed by physiotherapists at Toronto Rehab, and led by fitness instructors in numerous community centres across the country.

Graded Repetitive Arm Supplementary Program (GRASP)
GRASP is an arm and hand exercise program for people with stroke. It has been tested as a randomized control trial and the results have been published and are shown to be effective. The program, manual and GRASP books are offered free of charge.

Provincial clinical practice guidelines

Stroke Services BC works with stroke care professionals across BC to develop a broad range of clinical practice guidelines that support evidence-based best practices across the province:

June 2017 'Hot Stroke' Position Statement
October 2017 FAST-VAN (paramedic screening tool for stroke) Position Statement
April 2018 Provincial Stroke Imaging Protocol Position Statement
September 2020 Provincial Stroke Triage and Transport Guideline
April 2021 Provincial Stroke Unit Care Definition
February 2023 Tenecteplase (TNK) Position Statement

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