The University of Central Lancashires (UCLan) has won a bid for a grant worth £1.9million (pound) from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), to assess best practice for stroke treatment in India.
Professor Jeyaraj D Pandian, Head of Neurology and Deputy Director at Christian Medical College Ludhiana (CMC) said that the three-year research project, due to start in September, is a collaboration between UCLan, CMC Ludhiana, The George Institute in Australia/India with multiple hospitals across India, aiming to identify best practice for stroke care and specific processes to help developing countries.
Stroke or Brain Attack incidence in India is rising and the average age of people who suffer a stroke is 50, compared to 70 in the UK. This is largely due to change in lifestyle of the population in addition to environmental factors such as poor living conditions lack of health awareness and fragmented health care infrastructure.
Professor Dame Caroline Watkins, Faculty Director of Research and Innovation in the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing at UCLan, said: A stroke is one of the most serious life-threatening conditions that people can suffer from, which is why prompt and effective aftercare is incredibly important.For example accurate diagnosis of whether a stroke is caused by a haemorrhage or blood clot, and precise assessment of associated disorders, will determine the correct type of treatment. This also provides invaluable insight into the most relevant acute stroke care for those most at risk of long-term damage. A team of three members from UCLan were visiting CMC Ludhiana and a joint meeting will be held in New Delhi on 15th September.
Prof. Pandian added There are currently around 50 dedicated stroke units in India. As part of this project, researchers will be working with existing stroke units at CMC, Ludhiana; AIIMS, New Delhi and Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) Trivandrum. They will look to determine the most effective and suitable processes associated with carrying out stroke diagnosis and acute stroke care assessments, as well as the responses to these assessments.
Prof. Watkins stated A country the size of India should have around 3,000 dedicated stroke units to cater for the scale of the problem. The prevalence of stroke is becoming more common and funding is limited, so it is vital that we are able to assess the current working practices and outline the most cost-effective ways of providing high-quality care to stroke patients.
Dr Abraham G Thomas, Director of CMC Ludhiana lauded the effort of the UK and Indian researchers in bringing this major project to India. Dr. Mahesh Kate stroke neurologist at CMC Ludhiana mentioned that this project will also focus on Nursing care related issues in stroke which is often a neglected area. Mrs Ponnamma Singh, Principal College of Nursing stated that nurses play and an important role in the management of stroke patients. Mrs. Sheela Nursing in Charge of stroke unit said that the nurses are well trained in delivering clot bursting drug and in other medical treatments of stroke.
This grant is fundamental for future research between the two countries and will help us create a blueprint for stroke care to be used across the world.
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