Stroke
Stroke
is a common clinical condition which is the commonest cause of
disability in adults in Singapore. Optimal outcomes are dependent not
only on facilities and skilled staff, but on a multidisciplinary
approach for its management. Such a dedicated multidisciplinary team at
NUH includes neurologists, neurosurgeons, emergency physicians,
radiologists, rehabilitation physicians, nurses, physiotherapists,
occupational therapists, speech therapists, medical social workers,
pharmacist, case managers and stroke nurse educators.
The stroke team has at its core five neurologists dedicated to stroke
care, and manages just under a thousand ischemic stroke patients
annually. Working seamlessly with emergency physicians, neurosurgeons
and radiologists, they manage the stroke pathway and introduced a
thrombolytic therapy programme for acute ischaemic stroke in 1998,
apart from participation in clinical trials in stroke.
The stroke clinical pathway ensures application of best evidence
consistently which reduces the complications and mortality ensuring
optimum outcomes.
The team leader also pioneered Early Supported Discharged (ESD) in 2007
to extend care and rehabilitation into the community.
