Structured Post-stroke Follow-up in Malmö, Sweden (SUESIM)

Background Stroke-related medical complications and health problems are common among stroke survivors. Post-stroke Checklist (PSC), developed by an international expert group, and can be used as a clinical tool to identify common and treatable stroke-related health problems. PSC has not been systematically tested in Sweden. Aims To test the feasibility of a structured and multimodal follow-up model for stroke systematically, to test the validity of the PSC as a screening tool for stroke-related health problems and to study the prevalence of, and changes over time, of stroke-related health problems Study population We plan to include 200 consecutive patients with acute stroke, treated in-hospital at Skåne University Hospital in Malmö and discharged straight to own home. Procedure The intervention consists of a structured follow-up visit, managed by a stroke nurse, 3 months after stroke followed by a multidisciplinary team rounds resulting in an individual treatment plan for stroke-related health problems, and a final follow-up at 12 months. Feasibility will be evaluated, as well as burden of stroke-related health problems and interventions prompted by the visits. Researchers responsible for the study: Teresa Ullberg, MD, Ph (Postdoctoral researcher) and Hélène Pessah-Rasmussen, MD, PhD, associate professor (PI).