The World Stroke Organization has announced a global partnership with Medtronic to increase stroke awareness through several initiatives.
The two organisations will work together with the aim of educating, raising awareness and supporting effective management of patients who have strokes.
The partnership, announced at the 2016 Annual Scientific Session of the Chinese Stroke Association (CSA) and Tiantan International Stroke Conference (TISC) in Beijing, will focus on continued growth of stroke awareness through the Stroke is Treatable World Stroke Day campaign; implementation of the WSO’s new global stroke services guidelines: The Roadmap to Delivering Quality Stroke Care; and, supporting WSO’s global clinical educational programs including the World Stroke Academy and teaching courses.
“Recognising the signs of stroke early, treating it as a medical emergency with admission to a specialised stroke unit, and providing access to the best professional care can substantially improve outcomes,” says WSO president, Stephen Davis. “We are calling for everyone to take action, drive awareness and push for better access to stroke treatments, and we are delighted to have Medtronic join us in the fight against stroke.”
WSO’s teaching courses are clinical education courses tailored to individual countries’ needs. This year’s programs will address evidence-based approaches to stroke prevention, treatment and rehabilitation and will focus on improving stroke services specifically in Beijing, the Philippines and Hyderabad, India. In addition, the World Stroke Academy provides a digital teaching option to reach all member countries with educational programming on stroke.
Stacey Pugh, vice president and general manager of the Neurovascular business at Medtronic, says, “WSO provides dynamic education programs utilising various mediums to reach a broad swath of caregivers in the stroke field. We’re proud to help bring these targeted courses to countries working to improve stroke care.”
In 2016, the World Stroke Campaign will focus on the treatability of stroke, recognising that although stroke is a complex medical issue, there are ways to significantly reduce its impact. In addition, awareness of stroke signs and symptoms plays a critical role and is a focus of the partnership’s efforts.
