Stroke units in Chile Unidades de tratamiento del ataque cerebrovascular (UTAC) en Chile

Abstract

Stroke is a major public health problem in Chile, with an incidence similar to that of many industrialized nations, it accounts for 10% of all deaths and ranks 5 th in number of healthy years of life lost to a disease. Organized inpatient care for stroke patients has been shown in systematic reviews of randomized clinical trials to be effective in preventing death, disability and institutional care, without increasing length of stay compared to usual care. Organized stroke unit care is provided by multidisciplinary teams that exclusively manage stroke patients in a dedicated ward (stroke ward) of which there are various possible models; acute stroke units which accept patients acutely but discharge early (usually within 7 days). This could include an "intensive" model of care with continuous monitoring and high nurse staffing levels; comprehensive (i.e. combined acute and rehabilitation) stroke units which accept patients acutely but also provide rehabilitation for at least several wee