Blood Glucose Assessment: This is the percent of patients exhibiting signs and symptoms of a stroke who receive a blood glucose assessment by EMS. Symptoms such as confusion or weakness are common with Stroke, but may also be present in patients with low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Low blood sugar requires rapid treatment and can be just as easily confused as a stroke. A blood glucose assessment is a quick and accurate test that can assist paramedics form an accurate impression and care plan for patients exhibiting signs and symptoms of a stroke. Our goal is to assess the blood sugar level of 100% of patients with signs and symptoms of a stroke.
Why is this important?
Symptoms such as confusion or weakness are common with Stroke, but may also be present in patients with hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). A BGL assessment is a quick and accurate test that can assist with a diagnosis. This measure tells us how well we do assessing BGL in patients with Stroke symptoms.
NOTE: We recently reviewed and updated our clinical audit processes. As part of the update, we adjusted data filters to ensure consistent measurement across the various clinical indicators we report. These changes may result in a small amount of variation from previously reported results.
This measure relates to our Strategic Goals for Service and Finance- S1, S2, S3, F2, and F3:
S1: To be an organization that strives to improve the lives of people in our community.
S2: To have a service delivery model that best serves the needs of our community.
S3: To be an organization that puts service before self.
F2: To be an organization that provides value to the community.
F3: To provide quality cost efficient service to the community.