8 October 2013 Sara Kavanagh SSNAP Project Manager Producing a patient accessible stroke audit report for stroke survivors and carers

Background: The RCP Stroke Programme has run the National Stroke Audit since 1998 Clinical and organisational components Continuous and snapshot audits Reports with named hospital results are produced for hospitals, national health departments, regional networks and the general public. Need for a patient friendly report to make complex, clinically-focused audit results more accessible to stroke survivors and carers raise awareness of the quality of stroke care and services in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Challenge Stroke patients often have communication and cognitive impairments

Patient Consultation Patient involvement key part of RCP Stroke Programme Patient reps in Intercollegiate Stroke Working Party Strong links with patient groups including stroke survivors with aphasia Patient consultation informed decision making about which aspects of stroke care to include in the report, optimal ways of presenting complex national and regional data, report structure and layout Colour and font Interpretation guidance

Features of Easy Access Version Report large text and spacing bolding key words, substituting complex clinical terms into lay versions e.g. thrombolysis = clot busting drug; revising report structure to ensure it follows the stroke pathway; symbols and icons, geographical colour coded maps instead of data tables; simplified charts and graphs, regionalising reports by geographical areas.

Dissemination National and regional stroke audit results are made accessible electronically and in hard copy every three months via the patient-specific RCP webpage ( the web-based audit tool, national stroke conferences, patient groups stroke clubs Stroke Association Conclusion Stroke survivors have a powerful voice and require timely, accessible information about the extent to which stroke services meet required standards. ‘Easy Access Version’ is an effective means to increase knowledge and drive change. Feedback indicates the usefulness of these reports for stroke survivors and carers, clinical teams, chief executives and members of parliament in instigating improvements in stroke care.