Meghan Grady, MPA 1* ; Christine Kearns, MS, CNRN, FNP-BC 2

1. The Rhode Island Stroke Coordinators Network – Increasing Collaboration, Communication, and Community Among Stroke Coordinators Meghan Grady, MPA1*; Christine Kearns, MS, CNRN, FNP-BC2 1American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, 2Rhode Island Hospital MEMBERSHIP PURPOSE EXTRACTED GRAPHS RESULTS Kent Hospital Landmark Medical Center Memorial Hospital of RI Newport Hospital Our Lady of Fatima Hospital Rhode Island Hospital Roger Williams Medical Center South County Hospital The Miriam Hospital Westerly Hospital VAMC – Providence American Stroke Association Boehringer-Ingelheim Genentech RI Department of Health The Rhode Island Stroke Coordinators Network (RISCN) was established in December 2008. Participation was open to acute care hospitals and public health partners. The preliminary mission of the group was to build a statewide community for stroke coordinators to improve patient care statewide. The group identified collaboration, communication, and education as the preliminary areas of focus. • The survey received 8 out of a possible 15 responses. • 75% of those who responded to the survey classified their level of satisfaction as excellent or good • 25% described their experience as fair • The survey asked about the primary responsibility of the RISCN offering the following options: • sharing best practices • fostering collaboration • networking • addressing the state stroke plan • hosting educational forums • other • Sharing best practices received the highest response of 87.5% followed by fostering collaboration which received 75% • When asked about the future direction of the RISCN, respondents were offered the same responses as the first question • 75% believed sharing best practices should be the focus of the group moving forward • 62.5% believed that networking should be a focus Figure 2. Primary Responsibilities of the RISCN Figure 1. Experience rating as a member of the RISCN OBJECTIVES • To understand if the RISCN benefits its members and determine their level of satisfaction • To identify the responsibilities of the RISCN moving forward Figure 3. Future Goals of the RISCN CONCLUSION DESIGN This survey analysis identifies current level of satisfaction of the members of the RISCN and future areas of focus. Moving forward, the RISCN should develop a plan increase opportunities to share best practices and collaborate. Additional responses should be captured to better assess the needs of the entire group. Due to a the size of the state of Rhode Island and the current number of hospitals, the total number of hospitals will always be small. Key informant interviews could be completed to better understand the perceptions of the stroke coordinators who participate in the RISCN. In July 2009, the RISCN conducted a survey to measure the satisfaction of its membership after 6 months involvement and determine the future direction of the group. The survey was administered over the period of four weeks. A representative from each of the 11 hospitals and the 4 public health organization received the survey by e-mail. The survey was composed of ten questions that were either multiple choice or open ended.