Comparisons of stroke unit care between European countries are difficult. A Europe-wide system of standardised assessment criteria of stroke unit care would encourage international benchmarking and could drive quality improvement.
Improvement plans should prioritise the consistent implementation of key elements of organised stroke unit care, as laid out in ESO and national guidelines.
Thrombolysis is still under-performed across all of Europe. Structural changes to acute stroke care within the respective national and local context could help to improve thrombolysis rates and patient outcomes.
Thrombectomy is currently unavailable to the majority of European stroke patients. Organisational changes are required with hospital networks and regional referral centres in order to facilitate the implementation of thrombectomy across Europe and to make it more widely available.
