How to set up an acute stroke service

This chapter is based on the book How to Set Up an Acute Stroke Service by Grunwald, Fassbender and Wakhloo. Setting up an acute stroke service is a complex enterprise and necessitates background information on the medical condition stroke, current treatment options, reimbursement as well as the individual hospital environment. The chapter provides a general, comprehensive overview on each stage of the patient pathway. It explains what to consider when improving an existing service or when setting up a new service from scratch. In recent years, the creation of stroke centers has been a real asset to the management of acute ischemic stroke. The chapter identifies six important steps in the management of stroke, which helps to structure individual stroke pathway, tailored to specific institutional possibilities and constraints. Enabling the patient to keep up social contacts is perhaps the best opportunity to influence the patient's future quality of life.