Developing a National Guideline for Diagnosis, Treatment and Follow-Up of Stroke



Davoodi R¹ ; Ghandehari K² ; Ghayeni MR³ ; Harirchian MH³ ; Vahdat HB⁴ ; Nezhad S² ; Far AS¹ ; Sabouri G¹ ; Rahmani S³ ; Asadi M¹ ; Hosseini MZ¹ ; Modaghegh MHS⁵ ; Ghayebie E¹ ; Heydarian F⁶ Show All Authors Show Affiliations
Source: Journal of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences Published:2018

Abstract

Background and purpose: Lack of clear boundaries and standard reference about the diagnosis of stroke, necessary evaluations and interventions, effective treatments, and referral of stroke patients resulted in various inconsistent services. Therefore, this study aimed at developing practical national strategies for stroke in Iran. Materials and methods: Clinical guidelines about diagnosis and management of stroke were extracted from different guidelines. Three guidelines were selected according to AGREE scoring system after quality assessment and evaluation of clinical guidelines. In order to adapt the guidelines, recommendations of the three clinical guidelines were recorded in the form of clinical questions. Evidence supporting each recommendation was identified based on references and compared in terms of initial outcomes. Cost of interventions, the side effects, and clinical benefits were also studied. Finally, the national guideline for management of stroke was developed. Results: The results of this investigation were presented as clinical recommendations for diagnosis and management of stroke (2016). For example, strict control of blood glucose level and fever in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage was recommended in the guideline. Conclusion: The current indigenous stroke guide for the Iranian population is believed to be of great benefit in screening, referral, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of stroke. © 2018, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.