The complexities of acute stroke decision-making
Therapies Friday, September 27th, 2013Neurology: August 14, 2013
Objective: We hypothesized that low rates of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) use are only partially explained by medical considerations, and that biases, beliefs, systems, and uncertainty affect acute stroke decision-making.
Methods: We generated a list of factors potentially influential in acute stroke decision-making: uncertainty, patient demographics that may predispose to bias (age, sex, comorbidities), physician experiences and beliefs, and systems factors. An online survey was distributed to neurologists in the province of Ontario, Canada, to assess the influence of these elements. A response rate of 69% was achieved. Read more