Stroke Systems of Care

Historically, stroke registries and other community-based databanks have played a prominent role in providing comprehensive descriptions of the epidemiology of acute stroke, including data on demographics, risk factors, clinical features, and short-term outcomes. Recently, stroke registries have expanded beyond this descriptive epidemiological perspective to collect data on the quality of stroke care. The information collected in these quality-based registries allows for the tracking of best practices and the provision of evidence-based care through the monitoring of quality metrics. This chapter provides a brief summary of the broad objectives of these quality-based stroke registries and reviews the principal characteristics of several leading international registries in the developed world, including those from Sweden, United Kingdom, Germany, United States, Canada, European Union, and Australia. The registries cover a wide variety of different systems of care and have a wide geographical range (from regional- or state-level to true national-level registries).