The role of hospitalists in the acute care of stroke patients

Abstract

Stroke care has become progressively more complicated with advances in therapies necessitating timely intervention. There are multiple potential providers of stroke care, which traditionally has been the province of general neurologists and primary care physicians. These new players, be they vascular neurologists, neurohospitalists, internal medicine hospitalists, or neurocritical care physicians, at the bedside or at a distance, are poised to make a significant impact on our care of stroke patients. The collaborative model of care may be or become the most prevalent as physicians apply their distinct skill sets to the complex care of inpatients with cerebrovascular disease.

Figure 1

Internal medicine hospitalist survey questions. BP blood pressure; ER extended-release; IV intravenous; LDL low-density lipoprotein; SBP systolic blood pressure; TIA transient ischemic attack.