LO61: Geographic variation in Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)/minor stroke care in Alberta emergency departments (EDs)

Abstract

Introduction: The risk of recurrent stroke following a transient ischemic attack (TIA) has been estimated to be as much as 5 percent in the first 48 hours and ten percent in the first week following initial TIA symptoms, but can be modified as a result of intensive risk factor management. Care pathways for these patients vary between different regions within Alberta with Edmonton admitting more TIA patients and Calgary using computed tomography angiography (CTA) based triage. To examine regional differences in the quality of care, the rate of admission for stroke within 90 days of an index ED visit for TIA/minor stroke was investigated. Methods: Data analysts from the Data Integration, Measurement and Reporting (DIMR) branch of Alberta Health Services (AHS) used the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS) to identify patients in Alberta who were admitted for stroke within 90-days of an index emergency department (ED) visit for TIA/minor stroke from April 2010 to March 2016. Information extracted included patient demographics, region of residence (Edmonton, Calgary or non-major urban [NMU]), return diagnosis and timing of return ED visit. Analysis included descriptive summaries and proportions were compared using a χ² test. Results: During the study period, there were 26,232 index visits to Alberta EDs for TIA/minor stroke. 5426 (26.1%) of patients were admitted on their index visit. Calgary (22.5%) had lower rates of admission on index visit followed by Edmonton (31.4%) and the NMU (46%). 20,806 (79.3%) were discharged home following their index visit. Of the patients discharged on their index visit 729 (3.5%) had an admission for stroke within 90-days of their index ED visit with rates in Edmonton (3.8%) and the NMU regions (3.8%) being significantly higher than Calgary (2.8%, p<0.01). Conclusion: Our study demonstrates significantly lower rates of admission for stroke within 90-days of ED visit for minor stroke/TIA in Calgary compared to Edmonton and the NMU. Further work should focus on validating this result and consideration of standardized care pathways that promote effective resource utilization and quality of care.