Philips, World Stroke Organization Publish Call to Action to Expand Stroke Care Access

Royal Philips and the World Stroke Organization (WSO), the world’s only global non-governmental organization focused on stroke, published a policy paper calling for a revolution in stroke care to make a real difference to the lives of millions and bring significant economic benefits worldwide.
 
Carla Goulart Peron, Philips’ Chief Medical Officer, said: “Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. The burden of stroke on patients, their families, the healthcare system, and society, is huge. The time is now for a coordinated approach to revolutionize stroke care, bringing together investment in care and treatment, infrastructure, awareness, and a focus on effective policymaking. The benefits are significant, both for healthcare systems and societies, and most importantly in delivering better care for millions of patients worldwide.”
 
With new technologies, procedures, and clinical insights, stroke may be prevented, treated, and even reversed if treatment is initiated rapidly. However, despite a strong evidence base, there is insufficient focus on healthcare expenditure and research funding to advance stroke care. As a result, access to timely treatment remains limited, and huge disparities in stroke care persist. 
 
The joint WSO-Philips policy paper, which is accompanied by an editorial in The Lancet Neurology and aligned with recent World Health Organization (WHO) guidance, proposes six policy interventions to improve outcomes and reduce direct costs with substantial potential savings, releasing essential resources for other priorities across struggling healthcare systems. 
 
The policy paper, entitled “Time for a revolution in stroke care” outlines:

1. Set targets and quality indicators, assess current gaps, and prioritize stroke care in global, national, and regional health plans.
2. Expand and invest in infrastructures for essential stroke services, including stroke units and intravenous thrombolysis.¹
3. Expand and invest in (capital) infrastructures for advanced stroke services: mechanical thrombectomy.²
4. Increase the necessary skills in the health workforce.
5. Make sure that payment models provide adequate reimbursement of essential and advanced stroke care.
6. Build a strategy to actualize the potential savings of essential and advanced acute stroke care. 

Professor Sheila Martins, President of the World Stroke Organization, said: “The impact of thrombolysis and thrombectomy on stroke patient outcomes has been established for more than a decade. More recent research has also demonstrated the cost-effectiveness of these treatments in low-income, middle-income and high-income countries. Investing in acute stroke care provides governments with an unmissable opportunity to reduce the burden of stroke to individuals and society and to deliver on their UN SDG3 commitment. The time to act is now.”
 
Philips and the WSO signed a two-year partnership in October 2023 focused on advocacy, education, and raising awareness of stroke as a global healthcare challenge. In May of this year, Philips supported the WSO side-event at the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA) entitled United in Action to Transform Stroke Care, which was the first ever WHA satellite session dedicated specifically to stroke.

References:

¹ In an essential stroke center, acute stroke care is provided by a multidisciplinary team working according to acute stroke care protocols. This includes intravenous thrombolysis, the injection of medication to dissolve the blood clot that caused the stroke. This is the current most common acute stroke treatment.
² An advanced stroke center offers all the services provided at essential stroke centers plus mechanical thrombectomy, a minimally invasive therapy for removing the blood clot that caused the stroke.