NABH releases first edition of NABH Certification standards for stroke care centres

The National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) has released the first edition of NABH Certification standards for stroke care centres. It has urged all the centres across the country to apply for accreditation depending on the self-assessment of the standards.

NABH standards for stroke centres have been drafted in collaboration with World Stroke Organization (WSO) which is the only global body solely focused on stroke. One of the WSO’s goals is to improve access to quality stroke care and quality monitoring which will lead to improved stroke outcomes.

Given the importance, In November 2022, NABH had signed an MoU with WSO to launch a stroke center certification programme in India. As part of this initiative the WSO standards and elements have been merged with NABH format so that this programme aligns with the ongoing hospital accreditation processes followed by NABH.

Stroke is a time-sensitive medical emergency, and every minute can make a difference in the outcome for the patient. Having quality standards ensures that stroke centres provide prompt and organized care, including quick diagnosis, appropriate treatment, rehabilitation services and follow established guidelines and protocols based on the latest scientific evidence. This helps in delivering consistent and effective treatments, improving patient outcomes, and reducing variations in care.

The Standards to the 1st Edition of Stroke Accreditation Programme of NABH along with Key Performance Indicators has been made available free of charge as a downloadable document on NABH website, http://www.nabh.co.

This objective methodology will aid any Stroke care centre in a stepwise progression to mature quality system towards advance certification process. To have a smooth application process, NABH has provided a user- friendly Self-Assessment Toolkit (SAT) and an online application portal for the application of Stroke Accreditation Program. NABH invites applications from all stroke care centres for this new accreditation programme.

Stroke, a major non-communicable disease (NCD), is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the world. It is responsible for 3.5% of disability adjusted life years (DALY) in India. More than two-thirds of the strokes occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). There is a huge gap in the availability of stroke care services and access to hyperacute treatments like intravenous thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy.

Adoption and implementation of stroke standards is a significant stride which can be instrumental in guiding the efficient and effective management of a stroke centre. The standards have been prepared for health care providers involved in management of patients with stroke.

Source : 1

“NABH invites all the stroke care centres in India to embrace this opportunity to improve the scope for delivery of patient care services and their efforts to improve the quality and efficiency of those services. We wish every success to the hospitals adopting these standards for implementation and congratulate them on their spirit of working towards better quality and patient safety,” said Dr. Atul Mohan Kochhar, CEO, NABH.