ABSTRACT
Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States. It is estimated that someone in the United States has a stroke every 40 seconds, and the economic burden exceeds 34 billion dollars annually. Early identification of symptoms is paramount to receiving treatment necessary to improve functional outcomes in stroke. Timely treatment relies not only on community awareness of stroke, but also on early identification by prehospital providers and hospital prenotification of a potential stroke patient. Research demonstrates that with hospital prenotification, more patients undergo timely evaluation, have shorter time to drug administration, and more eligible patients are treated with IV-alteplase. An initial neurologic assessment should be brief but thorough. The National Institute of Health Stroke Scale is the most widely used tool for assessing stroke and is recognized as valid and reliable in initial stroke assessment as well as in evaluating outcomes after treatment.
