Factors that influence pre-hospital and hospital care, and patient outcomes following acute stroke

In this PhD program, I investigated factors that influence pre-hospital care for patients with suspected stroke, and described associations with hospital care and patient outcomes. My thesis comprises three published papers and two research chapters. I have described the first Australian data linkage study of ambulance and national stroke registry data. Specifically, I identified gaps in pre-hospital (i.e. call-taker and paramedic recognition of stroke) and hospital management processes related to acute stroke. My research contributes to addressing factors that impede access to evidence-based acute stroke care and has provided a stronger evidence-base to inform clinical practice and policy in stroke.