Summary

This report aims to present a comprehensive picture of the impact of stroke on patients, their carers, the health system and aged care services. It brings together the latest Australian data on the various phases of the management of people with stroke across the continuum of care. Where possible, it compares current practices to clinical guidelines for best practice in the care of stroke patients. It identifies improvements in care, areas where more needs to be done and gaps in our knowledge. 

The Background section outlines briefly what we already know about the disease, its risk factors, the people most likely to be affected and the recommended care for patients. 

The section 'How do we manage stroke?' presents new data covering public awareness of stroke signs and symptoms, hospital care in the acute period through to rehabilitation, prevention of further strokes, care in general practice, disability and functioning after stroke, and formal and informal care provided to survivors of stroke in the community. 

The section 'Cost of stroke care' gives a detailed breakdown of costs associated with treating episodes of the disease. Estimates for stroke attack projections into the next decades are shown in the section 'Future trends'. 

The Discussion summarises the main findings of the report, draws conclusions from the available data and highlights gaps and limitations of the existing data. The report draws on a range of data sources, described in the Appendix.