Stroke service in the Netherlands: an exploratory study on effectiveness, patient satisfaction and utilisation of healthcare

Objective: To assess whether shared care for stroke patients results in better patient outcome, higher patient satisfaction and different use of healthcare services. Design: Prospective, comparative cohort study. Setting: Two regions in the Netherlands with different healthcare models for stroke patients: a shared care model (stroke service) and a usual care setting. Patients: Stroke patients with a survival rate of more than six months, who initially were admitted to the Stroke Service of the University Hospital Maastricht (experimental group) in the second half of 1997 and to a middle sized... Mehr ...