Health Care Organization for the Management of Stroke: The French Perspective

Abstract

Stroke, a major burden to society, can now be treated in increasingly larger numbers of patients. Intravenous thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy are both now standard of care with class I, level of evidence A. Various local, regional, and national challenges are present, preventing equality in access to care for many patients. France is a developed country with a centralized national health care system accessible for all citizens. This article discusses current challenges in the implementation of the delivery of stroke care and some solutions that are being evaluated by the medical community.

Keywords: Acute stroke; Imaging-based triaging; Interventionalist; Mechanical thrombectomy; Neurointerventional units; Simulation-based training; Telestroke.