Toward a more effective approach to stroke: Canadian Best Practice Recommendations for Stroke Care.

Each year more than 50,000 Canadians experience a stroke and more than 300,000 currently live with its effects. Despite the evidence supporting best practices in stroke care, significant gaps in translating this knowledge into action remains in Canada. An interdisciplinary working group of the Canadian Stroke Strategy was formed to develop best-practice recommendations relevant to Canadian health care. The working group used a rigorous process to develop the guidelines, which included reviewing existing stroke recommendations and research literature, and consulting a national interprofessional consensus panel. The Canadian Best Practice Recommendations for Stroke Care consist of 24 recommendations based on the strongest evidence and address topics that span the full continuum of stroke care. Implementation and dissemination of these recommendations is in progress. Bringing about change will require political will and collaboration throughout the health care system.