NAS-Care study begins data collection at 7th Texas hospital

ATLANTA, TX – December 21, 2016 – The 7^th and final hospital to participate in the Nursing-driven Acute Stroke Care (NAS-Care) study is now collecting baseline data. NAS-Care is an innovative stroke code process study developed at UT Southwestern Medical Center. It empowers Emergency Department nurses to care for stroke patients in a more standardized and streamlined manner.

Nicole Fant, RN, BSN, SCRN – RN Program Manager - Trauma/Stroke; Chest Pain Coordinator, CHRISTUS St. Michael Hospital – Atlanta, TX Michelle Provencher, RN, BSN, MS – Program Manager, Lone Star Stroke Consortium; Senior Research Nurse, UT Southwestern Medical Center – Dallas, TX Debbie Robison, RN, BSN – Administrator/CEO/Chief Nursing Officer, CHRISTUS St. Michael Hospital – Atlanta, TX — (l-r) Nicole Fant, RN, BSN, SCRN, RN; Program Manager – Trauma/Stroke; Chest Pain Coordinator, CHRISTUS St. Michael Hospital, Atlanta, TX; Michelle Provencher, RN, BSN, MS; Program Manager, Lone Star Stroke Consortium; Senior Research Nurse, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX; Debbie Robison, RN, BSN; Administrator/CEO/Chief Nursing Officer, CHRISTUS St. Michael Hospital, Atlanta, TX.

NAS-Care began patient enrollment in February 2015 and has since enrolled more than 190 patients from around Texas. The study aims to decrease the time between hospital arrival and administration of Tissue Plasminogen Activator (tPA), a potentially life-saving medication for patients with a clot in their brain (ischemic stroke).

The study has wrapped up at several medical centers including CHRISTUS St. Michael Hospital in Atlanta, TX, where ED nursing staff said that NAS-Care improved their stroke code process and made them more comfortable treating stroke patients.

Data collection for NAS-Care will conclude August 2017.