Background: Stroke is an important cause of mortality in the industrialized countries, accounting for about 9% of all deaths in 2006 (OECD 2009). In addition the disability burden from stroke to individuals and society is substantial, as well as the treatment, rehabilitation and care expenditures of stroke patients to the health care systems.
Aim: To develop protocol for international comparison of outcomes and resources used in treating stroke patients, to perform the comparison, and to describe and explore reasons for differences in performance.
Data: Routine data on hospital discharge registers, cause of death statistics and other relevant available national registers.
Output: Country- and regional-level benchmarking indicators on content of care (use of services and procedures, costs, treatment practices, process indicators) and outcomes. Reports and scientific articles describing the protocols, methods, indicators as well variations between and within European countries, exploring the reasons behind the performance differences between countries, regions and providers, and evaluating the relationship between outcomes and costs.
Indicators of treatment and outcomes in the care of AMI, stroke and hip fracture:
► EuroHOPE Stroke: Material, Methods and Indicators [pdf] 
► Malmivaara A, Meretoja A, Peltola M, Numerato D, Heijink R, Engelfriet P, Wild SH, Belicza É, Bereczki D, Medin E, Goude F, Boncoraglio G, Tatlisumak T, Seppälä TT and Häkkinen U. Comparing ischaemic stroke in six European countries. The EuroHOPE register study. Eur J Neurol. 2015; 22(2): 284-91, e25-6.
► Peltola M, Seppälä T, Malmivaara A, Belicza É, Numerato D, Goude F, Fletcher E, Heijink H. 2015. Individual and regional-level factors contributing to variation in length of stay after cerebral infarction in six European countries. Health Economics 24 (Suppl. 2): 38-52.
► Häkkinen U, Rosenqvist G, Iversen T, Rehnberg C, Seppälä TT. 2015. Outcome, use of resources and their relationship in the treatment of AMI, stroke and hip fracture at European hospitals. Health Economics 24 (Suppl. 2): 116-139.
[Dec. 4th 2015]
