PhD defence Sanne den Hartog

Ischemic stroke is often a devastating disease and a common cause of death or permanent disability. Neurological deficits can be reversible if blood flow is restored in time. Since the 1990s, treatment with intravenous thrombolytics (IVT) is registered for ischemic stroke. In 2015 the additional benefit of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) to IVT was proven in patients with ischemic stroke with a large vessel occlusion. With the introduction of new treatments, it is important to measure the effects on quality of ischemic stroke care. The research presented in this thesis aimed to provide insight in the measurement and improvement of quality of ischemic stroke care by quality indicators. In Part I, we described generic quality indicators for stroke care and opportunities for improvement. In Part II, we investigated new disease-specific quality indicators of ischemic stroke care. In Part III, we focused on targets for quality improvement interventions in ischemic stroke care.