The Dundee Stroke Register: experience of the first ten years.

The objective to establish a register of all patients admitted to Dundee hospitals with acute stroke has been achieved. To do this a computerised database system has been established and a prospective survey has been conducted of clinical data of patients at time of admission, with follow-up at one and three years. All patients with a WHO diagnosis of acute stroke (excluding patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage), from January 1988 have been recorded. By the end of 1998, 3222 patients had been registered. The Dundee Stroke register database is the largest in Scotland and one of the largest in the world. The establishment of the register and database has required substantial investment of resources and the collaboration of the NHS, universities and the private sector. The operation of the register has heightened interest in stroke. It also provides present and future opportunities for clinical research and audit studies and the monitoring of outcomes.