2021 Successful Australasian Stroke Academy Research Grant Recipient
Grant: AUD $ 7,500
Recipient: Dr Anna Balabanski and Dr Angela Dos Santos
Project: Stroke incidence, subtypes, risk factors, treatment, and outcomes in First Nations Australians: a prospective registry-based pilot study.
There are few data published on incidence rates, stroke subtypes, risk factors, treatment, and outcomes in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) Australians. This information is critical for implementing effective primary and secondary prevention. Alice Springs Hospital (ASH), the major acute hospital for Central Australia, services a region home to a high proportion of First Nations Peoples (40% of the population), making it an ideal setting for a study of stroke in First Nations Australians.
In this study, we will use a purpose-built database to prospectively capture clinical and radiological data of all stroke inpatients and outpatients seen at ASH, to measure stroke rates, quantify which stroke risk factors and subtypes are most responsible for the burden of stroke, and analyse stroke care compared to the national Acute Stroke Clinical Care Standards. With this information, we will work together with First Nations Peoples to identify critical targets for community-led, culturally appropriate stroke care. This will include designing an improved post-stroke care package with and for First Nations Australians. This study will provide a template for an Australia-wide expansion of this database to better understand stroke in First Nations Peoples.
A key strength of this study is capacity building. This study is led by co-PI Dr Angela Dos Santos, Australia's first Aboriginal Neurologist, in collaboration with Aboriginal Cardiologist A/Prof Luke Burchill. All aspects of the research will be undertaken in ongoing consultation with First Nations stakeholders including governing bodies, local community groups and elders, to ensure the project aligns with community-identified priorities and needs.
Affiliated institutions: Department of Medicine and Neurology, Melbourne Brain Centre at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia. Department of Medicine, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Department of Neurology, Alfred Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
