TY - JOUR T1 - Assessing the readiness of hospitals in Riyadh Province for efficient and timely stroke management: A pilot study JF - Neurosciences Journal JO - Neurosciences (Riyadh) SP - 254 LP - 260 DO - 10.17712/nsj.2021.3.20200157 VL - 26 IS - 3 AU - Zohair A. Al Aseri AU - Fahmi M. Al-Senani AU - Shaik S. Ahmed AU - Amena F. Almubarak AU - Dina A. Alzahrani AU - Fatimah A. A. Alzaher AU - Maha A. Altuwaijri AU - Mayar A. Alsudais AU - Rawan Z. Mahgoub AU - Othman Solaiman Y1 - 2021/07/01 UR - http://nsj.org.sa/content/26/3/254.abstract N2 - 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. ER -