Regionalization of Acute Stroke Care: A Systems Modeling Approach
Mehul D. Patel PhD Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency MedicineUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Stroke is a leading cause of death and serious long-term disability. Limited access to time-sensitive acute stroke therapies is an important cause of stroke morbidity and mortality. Regional stroke systems of care that coordinate emergency medical services, emergency departments, inter-facility transfer agencies, and hospitals can improve access to acute stroke care. However, optimal stroke system designs and strategies are largely unknown and depend on regional and geographic factors. Computer simulation modeling can be highly effective for in silico testing of systems and processes under varying contexts. In this talk, I will present preliminary work on optimizing regional stroke systems with discrete event simulation and share plans for future research.