- The Australian Stroke Clinical Registry (AuSCR), led by The Florey, was established to monitor stroke care across hospitals in Australia to improve patients’ quality of life.
- The registry includes the Royal Adelaide Hospital, where 77-year-old stroke survivor Mike Lugg was admitted after an ischaemic stroke.
- Neurologist Dr Jackson Harvey says the National Stroke Targets, which AuSCR helped establish, help patients like Mike and place Australia as a leader for stroke therapy.
Setting a benchmark for stroke treatment and care
Mike Lugg was home alone when he suffered a life-threatening stroke, at the age of 77.
“It was very fuzzy. I was stuck between my bed and a chest of drawers. I tried to lift myself back up but I couldn’t.”
An ischaemic stroke, caused by a blockage in a brain artery, had paralysed Mike’s left arm but he managed to press his medical alert bracelet with his right hand. After that, time passed in a blur.
I remember the sirens, the ambulance and then people in my apartment. I remember the trip to the Royal Adelaide Hospital, and medical staff asking me questions.
Fortunately, he was in good hands. The Royal Adelaide is one of 67 hospitals around Australia that contributes stroke data from patients such as Mike to the Australian Stroke Clinical Registry (AuSCR).
The registry is led by The Florey on behalf of a consortium including the Stroke Foundation, Australian and NZ Stroke Organisation, and Monash University.
The AuSCR was established in 2009 to monitor treatments provided in hospitals across Australia, and in doing so, help improve the speed and quality of stroke care and patient quality of life.
When a stroke occurs, millions of brain cells die every minute. Time is of the essence, especially the time it takes for a patient to undergo the surgical removal of the blood clot from the brain (thrombectomy).
For Mike, that time was only 44 minutes. For many, it can be much longer, with half of eligible patients nationally treated in more than 100 minutes.
“That afternoon, I was sitting up in bed talking to people, and it was like nothing had ever happened – I’ve lived a perfectly normal life since,” Mike says.
Not all patients have such a positive outcome. Stroke remains a leading cause of death and disability with many survivors experiencing loss of movement, sensation and mental function.
The AuSCR data also show that half of all stroke survivors experience chronic pain, mood changes, and face challenges with usual activities and experiences.
Royal Adelaide Hospital neurologist, Dr Jackson Harvey, who was part of Mike’s treatment team, says the sooner someone is treated, the more of the brain is preserved and the better they do in the long-term.
For Mike to walk out of the hospital 2 days after his stroke shows the importance of getting to hospital, and how powerful these treatments are if we get them to patients quickly.
The AuSCR Executive Director and Florey researcher, Professor Dominique Cadilhac, says data from across Australia are invaluable to helping healthcare providers benchmark their stroke services and identify areas for improvement.
“The registry is fundamental to having standardised data so we can reliably compare hospitals. Individual hospitals have improved through activities like developing quality improvement action plans, providing additional education to staff, and streamlining processes across different hospital departments. More patients are now accessing stroke units and getting involved in their own discharge care planning,” Professor Cadilhac says.
In 2023, the AuSCR was a key source of information to guide the establishment of National Stroke Targets. These targets have been endorsed by the Australian Government, peak bodies and key stakeholders.
“The National Stroke Targets are a call to action for everybody involved in stroke care to make sure that all patients receive life-saving stroke care, regardless of where they live in Australia,” Professor Cadilhac says.
The impact of the Australian Stroke Clinical Registry and the National Stroke Targets are that stroke care will no longer be a postcode lottery.
In 2024, the Australian Government provided funding for the AuSCR to build a new data platform, increase the number of participating hospitals, and develop a sustainable funding approach with state and territory governments. This support will go a long
way to embedding the registry within the Australian healthcare system.
For Dr Harvey at Royal Adelaide Hospital, the targets set a clear benchmark.
“AuSCR’s data just keeps getting better and more informative, and having a standardised and coordinated registry means Australia is among the leading nations for stroke therapy,” he says.
