Triage assessments and the activation of rapid care protocols for acute stroke patients

Rapid care protocols developed to reduce in-hospital delay times in the assessment of acute stroke patients are now common in Emergency Departments. Correct triage identification and prioritisation is vital to instigate this process and increase the eligibility of patients for acute stroke treatments. Objective: We set out to examine triage assessments of acute stroke patients and investigate factors associated with the instigation of rapid care protocols (allocation of triage category 1 or 2) for acute stroke patients presenting within 2. h of symptom onset.