Northwest is committed to providing urgent stroke care throughout the region with its telestroke program, which connects patients with remote neurology specialists who can provide advanced assessments whenever they are needed.
Northwest Texas Healthcare System contracts with Northwest Stroke Solutions for its telemedicine services and provides telemedicine robots to hospitals in Dalhart, Dumas and Pampa, explains Sabra McFarland, BSN, RNC-NIC, stroke coordinator at Northwest. Using two-way audiovisual capabilities, specialists are able to talk with patients about their symptoms, evaluate their motor skills and assess even subtle facial features and symptoms that may be related to a possible stroke.
A nurse is by the patient’s bedside throughout the telemedicine consultation, ensuring that the remote physician has all the “pieces of the puzzle” needed to make a diagnosis and treatment recommendation, says McFarland. This may include imaging tests, patient medical records and any other information that can help direct the optimal treatment.
If more specialized care is needed, patients may be transferred from any of the three outlying facilities to Northwest in Amarillo. Northwest follows best practices for stroke care and was recertified in 2017 as a Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission. Primary Stroke Centers must successfully demonstrate compliance with standards, implementation of clinical practice guidelines and performance measurement activities.
Supporting the Best Possible Recoveries
The goal of advanced stroke care at Northwest is to provide rapid treatment. For some patients, rehabilitation may be needed following a stroke to help with physical, speech, emotional and cognitive changes they may experience. In these cases, the Inpatient Rehabilitation Center at Northwest can provide dedicated, individualized care to help patients return to their highest level of independence.