Telestroke programs, by expanding coverage to less populated areas, improved access to life-saving stroke care in Oregon by about 40%, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine.
Considering all hospitals in Oregon, the study found that 43% of the population could reach a stroke center in person within one hour, 76% had telemedical access to stroke care, 40% had access to both and 20% had no access to stroke care within a 60-minute radius. These findings were compared with those from previous research, which indicated that 45% of Americans—or 135 million people—were more than an hour from a stroke-care facility. But now, because of a combination of in-person and telemedical care, almost 80% of residents have stroke care within an hour of their location.