Prestroke selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor use and functional outcomes after ischaemic stroke.

Background: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have been implicated in contributing to recovery after acute ischaemic stroke. In particular, poststroke initiation of an SSRI has been demonstrated to improve motor recovery. The role of prestroke SSRI use on functional outcomes and stroke recovery is less clear.

Frequent Hub-Spoke Contact Is Associated with Improved Spoke Hospital Performance: Results from the Massachusetts General Hospital Telestroke Network.

Background: For acute ischemic stroke patients, shorter time to thrombolytic (tissue plasminogen activator [tPA]) is associated with improved outcomes.

Introduction: Telestroke increases tPA use at spoke hospitals, yet its effect on door-to-needle (DTN) times for tPA administration is unknown. We hypothesize that spoke hospitals with more frequent contact to a hub hospital will have shorter DTN times than those with less frequent contact.

Professional Medical Interpreters Influence the Quality of Acute Ischemic Stroke Care for Patients Who Speak Languages Other than English.

Background: The inability to communicate effectively in a common language can jeopardize clinicians' efforts to provide quality patient care. Professional medical interpreters (PMIs) can help provide linguistically appropriate health care, in particular for the >25 million Americans who identify speaking English less than very well. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between use of PMIs and quality of acute ischemic stroke care received by patients who preferred to have their medical care in languages other than English.

Relationship Between Language Preference and Intravenous Thrombolysis Among Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients.

Background: Approximately 20% of the US population primarily speaks a language other than English at home. Yet the effect of language preference on treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients remains unknown. We aimed to evaluate the influence of language preference on AIS patients' receipt of intravenous (IV) thrombolysis.