Initiative against stroke expands to 38 countries
Boehringer Ingelheim and its partners provide multidisciplinary stroke support
Boehringer Ingelheim
Globally
Stroke
Implementing stroke care guidelines
To improve stroke care across the world
Globally, 70% of strokes and nearly 90% of stroke-related deaths and disability-adjusted life years occur in low- and middle-income countries*. A major factor contributing to the disease burden is the lack of sufficient infrastructure (e.g. optimised stroke units and “stroke-ready” hospitals) in these countries.
In 2016, Boehringer Ingelheim launched the Angels Initiative to support and strengthen healthcare systems for the benefit of stroke patients. With partners including the European Stroke Organisation, World Stroke Organisation, Stroke Alliance for Europe and other national stroke societies, companies and health institutions, the initiative collaborates with multidisciplinary stroke teams in nearly 4,000 hospitals, helping doctors, nurses and emergency medical services to improve their stroke diagnosis and treatment.
The role of the Angels
The so-called Angels consultants work in hospitals to help establish or improve the stroke patient pathway: the focus is on standardising processes, educating to close gaps, building practitioner communities and establishing quality monitoring. By promoting strategic planning of acute stroke care, the initiative is contributing to building coverage, coordinating networks and optimising emergency services links to stroke units.
Overall, the Angels Initiative aims to reduce treatment delays, increase guideline-led treatment and provide patients with the best possible care, the ultimate goal being to create a worldwide network of stroke-ready hospitals. In 200 “Angels” hospitals that adopted training simulation exercises, for example, door-to-treatment time for stroke patients fell by an average of 25 minutes.
Meeting all Good Practice Standards
The Angels Initiative meets all Good Practice Standards: it addresses local needs and priorities, has good governance structures, is guided by measurable goals and publicly shares its progress. Outcomes of activities are measured closely prompting the company to identify the most effective practices. Finally, Boehringer Ingelheim demonstrates best practice in scalability. Since 2018, the Angels Initiative has added 12 low- and middle-income countries, including Armenia, Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Kenya, Paraguay, Uzbekistan and Vietnam, operating now in 38 countries in scope of the Index.
