Competence Network Stroke

The "Stroke" competence network is a nationwide network open to physicians, researchers, self-help groups and other organizations. The network provides clinics and practicing physicians with essential information such as guidelines for treating strokes and the latest in research findings. The goal of the network is to make further advances at all levels of patient care and research in the fight against strokes. This encompasses all areas of stroke treatment:

• Risk identification and prevention
  
• Recognizing strokes and their therapy in the acute phase
  
• Post-treatment and post-rehabilitation measures

To ensure that required knowledge finds its way increasingly into practical treatment, it is important to:

• identify and solve regional and national infrastructure problems in stroke care in a well-structured manner,
  
• process internationally recognized output in research and science and make it useable in practice,
  
• create organizational structures be to provide patients with direct and faster access to the latest findings and available therapies.

Research activities are divided into project groups as detailed below:

• Stroke genetics
  
• Stroke predisposition
  
• Basic principles of stroke pathophysiology and acute therapy
  
• Diagnostic methods for optimization of acute stroke therapy
  
• Brain plasticity and post-stroke rehabilitation
  
• Care/treatment projects and stroke epidemiological studies
  
• Stroke database.