Three codes for stroke annual review or stroke monitoring were also classified into stroke annual review codes, including "Stroke/CVA annual review" (662e.00), and stroke monitoring codes, including "stroke monitoring" (662M.00) and "haemorrhagic stroke monitoring" (662o.00).
This increase was accounted for by increased utilisation of codes for stroke annual review or stroke monitoring.
The incidence of stroke associated with stroke monitoring and stroke annual review codes showed a large increase over the period, with a steep increase between 2002 and 2004.
The use of codes for stroke annual review and stroke monitoring has greatly increased in frequency and peaked shortly after the inclusion in the QOF with a subsequent plateau.
(R16) " Knowledge among the health care provider and the community (regarding post stroke monitoring and rehabilitation) needs to be strengthened".
In the area of structural imaging it is also making progress, particularly for neo-natal [ 8– 10] and stroke monitoring [ 11].
Our stringent stroke monitoring procedures enabled the ascertainment of stroke cases that had not been referred to a hospital and hence would have been missed had we only relied on hospital records, as is the case in many cohort studies.
Prior to gaining a license in Europe a large safety study was required, and thus the Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke Monitoring Study (SIT-MOST) was carried out [ 11].
BMI = body mass index; CT = computerised tomography; ICU = intensive care unit; IPPV = intermittent positive pressure ventilation; MRI = magnetic resonance imaging; SIT-MOST = Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke Monitoring Study.
The SITS-MOST (Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke – Monitoring Study) group reported positive experience of translating acute stroke thrombolysis trials into routine clinical practice in Europe, and the PROSIT (Project on Stroke Services in Italy) group studied acute effects of admission to a dedicated stroke unit.
Thorough stroke monitoring procedures and the nearly complete follow-up allowed us to include virtually all stroke events, even in participants who had not been referred to a neurologist or admitted to a hospital, for example people living in nursing homes or participants who had a fatal stroke.
