Focus on Quality of Neurology and Stroke Care for Patients

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue on the topic of the quality of neurology and stroke care. Thanks to ongoing progress in new pharmacotherapy options, more effective treatment is being achieved. We will discuss  a number of neurological conditions, including stroke. Unfortunately, there are still some conditions with limited treatment options. In both groups of ailments, in contrast to medication alone, the quality of care seems to frequently be even more important.

This Special Issue will address the management of neurological conditions in both outpatient and inpatient settings. Many neurological conditions are chronic or lead to long-term psychomotor disabilities. Key issues include access and ability to work, the availability of social care, rehabilitation, psychotherapy, dietary support, speech therapy, medical follow-ups, and specialized treatments such as cardiology or spasticity management.

For hospitalized patients, the quality of care is particularly dependent on access to hospital facilities and specialized services, such as epilepsy centres or advanced Parkinson’s disease treatment units. Special attention must also be given to acute phase treatment in stroke, as the quality of care directly impacts patient outcomes. Proper stroke treatment requires immediate access to stroke centres providing thrombolysis and access to mechanical thrombectomy centres.

This topic also encompasses quality-of-care aspects within hospitals, including proper nutrition, diagnostic procedures, and the prevention of complications such as deep vein thrombosis, pressure sores, deconditioning, delirium, and falls. Quality of care also refers to end-of-life pathways. Multiple factors influence the quality of care in neurological conditions, all of which significantly affect patient outcomes.

This Special Issue will highlight current challenges and promising solutions to enhance the quality of care for this patient group.

For this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Access to stroke centres providing thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy;
• Comprehensive quality care for stroke patients;
• Additional aspects of hospitalization, such as rehabilitation, feeding, the prevention of complications, delirium, deconditioning, falls, and end-of-life care; 
• Access to in- and outpatient services, such as rehabilitation, spasticity treatment, psychiatric treatment, a dietitian, and psychological and speech therapy;
• Post-discharge care for stroke patients;
• The ability to continue working and access to occupational health support;
• Access to diagnostic procedures and medical facilities for diagnosing neurological conditions;
• Access to, and organization of, specialized neurological centres in different countries;
• Inequalities in access to neurological clinics and hospitals.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Dariusz Kotlȩga
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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• ischemic stroke
• thrombolysis
• thrombectomy
• neurology
• care
• rehabilitation
• nutrition