Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Stroke happens when a blood vessel to the brain is blocked. It is one of the most common reasons for an adult in Canada to be unable to return home after hospitalization. About half of the patients with a big stroke first have mild symptoms. This is a warning. The risk of a stroke is highest in the three months after a warning. We studied how often patients with stroke warnings are hospitalized across Canada in the last 11 years. We used information from the Canadian Institute of Health Information. All hospitals in Canada report to this administrative database. We found out if the patients were able to return to their own home. We also looked at if they had a big stroke in the three months after the warning. 426,032 patients stayed in a hospital for a stroke or stroke warning in Canada between 2003 and 2014. 71,480 (16.8%) of these patients had a stroke warning. In the last 11 years, the standardized rates of hospitalizations for stroke warning in Canada decreased from 30 to 20.6 per 100,000 people per year. Stroke warning patients were 23% less likely to need a nursing home, but the need for home care increased by 31%. In the three months after stroke warning, the need to go back to the hospital for a second stroke warning or a big stroke also lowered by 32%. To summarize, hospitalizations for stroke warning across Canada have decreased in the last 11 years. The risk of a big stroke after a warning is less now compared to the risk in 2003. The need for nursing home care is also less, but patients need more help and support at home. It is important to study the needs of patients with stroke warnings once they go back to their own home so that we can set up easy access to services through the community.