Emergency Department Protocols

In December 2010, the BC Stroke Strategy tabled the Provincial Stroke Action Plan with the BC Ministry of Health Services and regional Health Authorities for decision around governance, funding and implementation. The Action Plan recommends embedding integrated stroke care (order sets, care pathways, repatriation agreements and co-horted beds) into the emergency and inpatient operations of BC facilities/hospitals.

Since 2006, the Emergency Department Protocol Working Group has worked with Health Authorities to implement a standardized approach to stroke care in more than 100 urgent care and emergency departments across B.C.

Standardized physician order sets have been developed to help achieve a consistent approach to manage the acute stroke and high risk TIA patients in Emergency Rooms across the province. The order sets have been reviewed by multiple stakeholder groups within each Health Authority. Both online and site-based educational programs have been developed for physicians and nurses.

Several inter-disciplinary Stroke Collaboratives have been completed and allowed sites within Health Authorities to meet and discuss best practices in emergency department stroke care management. The majority of Health Authorities have implemented the protocols. The BC Stroke Strategy, in co-operation with the Canadian Stroke Network has funded an audit to assess care since these protocols were implemented.