Recommendations for the organization of the teleconsultation service in a telestroke network

Hanni Wiestler; Philipp Zickler; Hebun Erdur; Mazen Abu-Mugheisib; Bernd Kallmünzer; Caroline Klingner; Peter Müller-Barna; Gordian Hubert; Christoph Gumbinger; Hans Worthmann

doi:10.1186/s42466-024-00318-3

Recommendations for the organization of the teleconsultation service in a telestroke network

Neurol Res Pract. 2024 Apr 25;6(1):24. doi: 10.1186/s42466-024-00318-3.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology, Academic Teaching hospital of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University, München Klinik, Munich, Germany. hanni.wiestler@muenchen-klinik.de.
² Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, University Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany.
³ Department of Neurology, Asklepios Fachklinikum Teupitz, Teupitz, Germany.
⁴ Department of Neurology, Charité University Hospital, Berlin, Germany.
⁵ Department of Neurology, Municipal Hospital Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany.
⁶ Department of Neurology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen- Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
⁷ Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
⁸ Department of Neurology, Academic Teaching hospital of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University, München Klinik, Munich, Germany.
⁹ Department of Neurology, University Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. Christoph.Gumbinger@med.uni-heidelberg.de.
¹⁰ Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Telestroke networks aim to improve acute stroke care within their catchment area. Through a teleconsultation service, the network centers provide support to network hospitals that lack continuous neurological expertise for acute stroke management decisions. Although the importance of telemedical treatment in stroke care is steadily increasing, so far no standards exist for the organization of the teleconsultation service in networks.To ensure a high-level of quality for all processes and measures concerning telemedical stroke treatment, the commission for telemedical stroke care of the German Stroke Society (Deutsche Schlaganfall-Gesellschaft, DSG) created the following recommendations on how to organize a teleconsultation service within a telestroke network. The recommendations are the result of an adjustment process between the authors and include guidance on requirements, qualifications, processes and quality management within the teleconsultation service.

Keywords: Acute stroke; Recommendations; Teleconsultation service; Telemedicine; Telestroke network.