PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Aseri, Zohair A. Al AU - Al-Senani, Fahmi M. AU - Ahmed, Shaik S. AU - Almubarak, Amena F. AU - Alzahrani, Dina A. AU - Alzaher, Fatimah A. A. AU - Altuwaijri, Maha A. AU - Alsudais, Mayar A. AU - Mahgoub, Rawan Z. AU - Solaiman, Othman TI - Assessing the readiness of hospitals in Riyadh Province for efficient and timely stroke management: A pilot study AID - 10.17712/nsj.2021.3.20200157 DP - 2021 Jul 01 TA - Neurosciences Journal PG - 254--260 VI - 26 IP - 3 4099 - http://nsj.org.sa/content/26/3/254.short 4100 - http://nsj.org.sa/content/26/3/254.full SO - Neurosciences (Riyadh)2021 Jul 01; 26 AB - Objectives: To assess the readiness of hospitals in Riyadh to establish acute stroke centers by following the Australian Clinical Guidelines for Stroke Management.Methods: This study was a quantitative cross-sectional observational study conducted among hospitals in the central region of Saudi Arabia (Jan 2018 – April 2018). A self-administered questionnaire/survey tool was adapted from an Australian survey developed by the Stroke Foundation in Melbourne, Australia.The data were analyzed using SPSS version 21.0. Appropriate statistical tests (chi-square and Fisher’s exact test) were used for bivariate analyses.Results: A total of 3932 stroke patient visits were recorded in 37 hospitals in the central region of Saudi Arabia. The most common limitations of acute stroke services were that 25 (67.57%) of the hospitals had no stroke unit and 21 (56.76%) had inadequate clinical staff. Magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography were available in 32 (86.49%) and 36 (97.30%) hospitals, respectively. Only two-thirds of hospitals 25 (67.57%) followed protocols for rapid Emergency Department (ED) triage.Conclusion: We found that most of our hospitals were not fully prepared to address acute stroke management in a manner that was reasonably consistent with international guidelines. We recommend raising the hospital’s requirements a higher level to be in line with the stroke guidelines.