Pioneering paramedics help stroke victims
South East Coast Ambulance Service is leading the way with a pioneering course which helps medical staff spot the symptoms of stroke victims.
It is the first organisation outside the USA to pilot the innovative innovative course.
The day-long Advanced Stroke Life Support course was developed by the University of Miami's Gordon Centre for Research in Medical Education.
It teaches clinicians how to recognise and manage acute signs of stroke and TIA (transient ischemic attack) and ensure that the highest possible number of patients access potentially life-saving, clot-busting treatments.
Paramedics, doctors, nurses and therapists attended the courses which were held at the Royal Surrey Hospital in Guildford, Eastbourne District General Hospital, William Harvey Hospital in Ashford and the Royal Bournemouth Hospital.
Course tutor Geoffrey Miller said: "This is the first international collaboration we've done with the ASLS course. It was organised through the relationships we've built with SECAmb through study tours its staff have attended in the US.
"The pilot programme has been taught very much along the same lines as it's taught in the US, where it is currently running in 22 states and over 400 organisations.
"When first set up in 1997, it was originally paramedic-focussed but it's now been developed as a course aimed at multi-disciplines.
"We're able to provide the various disciplines with a chance to come together as separate players in the local stroke network, to discover more about people's roles and to see how, by working together, they can provide optimal care for stroke and TIA patients."
SECAmb Paramedic and Stroke Lead & Clinical Pathways Co-ordinator David Davis said: "The results of this pilot will be carefully scrutinised by stroke networks in the region and will inform the future development of multi-disciplinary education in Acute Stroke. If the pilot proves successful, there are plans to revise the course for the UK and deliver it to all relevant clinicians in the region.
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Monday 13 February 2012
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