Acute stroke management in Turkey: Current situation and future projection

Abstract

In Turkey, the incidence of acute stroke is increasing, obviously with the contribution of the aging population. With the publication of “Directive on Health Services to be Provided to Patients with Acute Stroke” on July 18, 2019 and its entry into force in March 2021, an important period of catching up and updating has begun in the management of acute stroke patients in our country. During this period, 57 comprehensive stroke centers and 51 primary stroke centers were certified. These units have covered approximately 85% of the country’s population. In addition, around 50 interventional neurologists were trained and became the directors of many of these centers. In the following 2 years, the “inme.org.tr campaign” was launched. This campaign, aimed at increasing the public’s knowledge and awareness about stroke, continued unabated during the pandemic period. Now is the time to continue the efforts to ensure homogeneous quality metrics and to develop and continuously improve the established system.