To change the hopeless perception of medical care for stroke by the public and the provider community, the National Stroke Association (NSA) took a grassroots task force approach that pulls together two vital forces: PR pros and clinical professionals.
Driving home the fact that there are new treatment options for stroke victims that save lives and improve outcomes when administered with expedience, NSA launched CTAP (Clinical Trials Acceleration Program) in 1995.
To date, NSA, based in Englewood, Colo., has visited and consulted with more than 450 hospitals throughout the country to implement stroke teams and community awareness programs.
Since so many stroke drugs are in the research pipeline awaiting FDA approval, NSA works with 11 pharmaceutical companies to boost clinical trial enrollment by linking them with appropriate hospitals. To make CTAP an executable program for providers, NSA relies on two initiatives to break down the barriers between clinicians and PR pros:
- ERSOS (Emergency Response System Organization at Sites) which targets nurses, physicians and other clinicians to put a stroke team in place; and
- ASAP (Area-Wide Stroke Awareness Program) which concentrates on PR efforts to educate internal and external audiences on the provider's stroke programs.
ERSOS and ASAP are staffed with clinical and PR consultants who visit trial sites and train the hospital on how to take a team approach - involving every hospital professional who might come in contact with stroke victims - on increasing community awareness of stroke symptoms and emphasizing the narrow window of opportunity for successful medical treatment (3 to 8 hours).
These services are hands-on and based on the hospital's stroke care needs.
"Since there are only a handful of [well known] stroke centers throughout the country; CTAP is a great positioning opportunity for the hospital. But often there are limited PR resources and the ER might not understand how a stroke team can be a huge problem-solver. CTAP gives them extensive resources," said Susan Nichamoff, manager of CTAP.
CTAP In Action
South Hampton Hospital in New York was among the first hospitals to test drive CTAP in 1995. Its stroke response was at about five hours and many of the healthcare professionals who came in closest contact with stroke victims were unaware of the latest break-through stroke treatments available. Now on its third clinical trial, South Hampton's stroke response is close to three hours and community awareness on stroke has soared.
The CTAP effort was headed up by Liz Lattuga, the hospital's clinical coordinator, who took on not only the clinical responsibilities but the PR efforts as well. South Hampton did not fit the profile of most hospitals that participate in clinical trials: it is neither a teaching center nor a large metropolitan area. It's a rural 120-bed community hospital covering a large geographic area of 10 towns. CTAP was not only its clinical trials entree, but its first unified attempt at a stroke program, according to Lattuga.
To get South Hampton's CTAP program off the ground, Lattuga coordinated a stroke response team effort with 10 voluntary ambulance companies in the area, the hospital's neurologist, EMS and PR department. Back then, the goal of the clinical trial was to get stroke victims to emergency care within three hours of onset.
CTAP's consultants worked with Lattuga to assess the hospital's specific community awareness and clinical trial enrollment needs. South Hampton and the surrounding towns have a significant senior population, many of whom are home owners who live alone.
To get the word out, Lattuga's stroke team was briefed on NSA literature and clinical trial protocol. Nurses and doctors were educated on how CTAP would allow them to intervene during the acute phase of stroke and save lives. The external effort required a much more involved process including:
- NSA stroke literature, slides and videos;
- Local newspaper coverage in five newspapers;
- NSA brochures distributed at local businesses, libraries and clinics;
- Lectures and stroke screenings at community centers; and
- Segments on the hospital's television and radio shows.
Surprisingly, CTAP only occupies a quarter of Lattuga's time, primarily because of the ready-made programs and marketing tools NSA has in place for CTAP hospitals to customize.
Having a stroke team in place has also boosted the hospital's image as a cutting edge, research center. In fact, CTAP has encouraged physicians to get involved in other areas of research, according to Lattuga. (NSA, 303/649-9299; South Hampton Hospital, 516/726-8721)
CTAP PR Strategy At Work
Phyllis Lengyel, one of the National Stroke Association's eight PR consultants for CTAP (Clinical Trial Acceleration Program) was among the first PR practitioners for CTAP at the University of Texas Medical School. The school participated in the groundbreaking t-PA (tissue plasminogen activator) clinical trial, which significantly changed treatment protocol for stroke. Once t-PA became approved by the FDA last year, stroke PR initiatives intensified with the national media covering stroke as a treatable condition. To keep the PR momentum up, Lengyel meets with CTAP hospitals and medical schools to launch effective stroke campaigns. The CTAP PR strategy targets clinical professionals, at-risk individuals and the media. The effort involves:
- NSA literature (videos, posters, booklets) for physicians, pharmacists and at-risk patients;
- stroke screening programs and slide presentations;
- joint educational ventures with churches, community centers and health advocacy organizations.
- kick-off media kits, news conference tips and PSAs. (Phyllis Lengyel, 713/723-9140)