HÂþ»­

Improving Stroke Care Through ACTEAST – Atlantic Canada Together Enhancing Acute Stroke Treatment 

Assistant Professor
Department of Industrial Engineering
HÂþ»­ University

Date: Wednesday 23 February 2022
Time: 13:00 pm to 14:00 pm
Venue: Online Event

Abstract
Stroke is a devastating disease, but it is treatable; however, minutes matter, and, therefore, the faster treatment is started, the better the outcomes. The ACTEAST project aims to improve access to treatment for stroke patients and improve the timeliness of treatment across all 4 Atlantic Canadian provinces. ACTEAST stands for Atlantic Canada Together Enhancing Acute Stroke Treatment. It is a project being led by Dr. Noreen Kamal. There are currently two treatments for stroke: 1) the first line of treatment is a medical treatment called alteplase or tPA that is administered intravenously that dissolves the clot; and 2) and the second is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that removes the clot called endovascular therapy. Dr. Kamal is working with interdisciplinary improvement teams from 35 hospitals across Atlantic Canada to increase the portion of stroke patients that receive treatment and reduce the time to treatment to a median of 30 minutes from arrival at hospital for alteplase treatment. Dr. Kamal has been working to understand and implement the process changes that lead to improvements for the past 10 years. ACTEAST builds on her work in improving time to treatment across Alberta, which saw a dramatic improvement in patient outcomes. It is a 3-year project that is being rolled out in three phases by province: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick & PEI, and finally Newfoundland & Labrador. A 6-month intervention is used in each phase, where each improvement team at each hospital is provided support through 2-full-day workshops, webinars, and site visits. It is expected to end in March 2023

Speaker Biography
Dr. Noreen Kamal is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering at HÂþ»­ University. Dr. Noreen Kamal’s primary research interest is in designing and improving health care systems such that they match the progression of the disease to make significant impact on the lives of patients. She has worked in the health care sector for 15 years, where she has worked to improve emergency department flow, management of sepsis, and most recently acute stroke systems. Prior to joining the health care sector, she worked in industry for 6 years, where she specialized in industrial process control across various sectors.

Contact Person:
Prof. Floris Goerlandt
email: floris.goerlandt@dal.ca

General Enquiry:
Ms. Tara Parker
Tel: 902.494.3281
email: ieng@dal.ca