Journal Article

Status on stroke and stroke care in Europe 2023: Stroke Service Tracker 2023 data based on 1,460,360 strokes in 47 European nations

de Sousa, Diana Aguiar, Wilkie, Arlene, Sacco, Simona, Fischer, Urs, Kelly, Peter, Tomek, Ales, Norrving, Bo, Mikulik, Robert, Santo, Gustavo, Christensen, Hanne, Dichgans, Martin, Tiu, Cristina, Grundtvig, Josefine, Lunde, Grethe, Budincevic, Hrvoje, Ovesen, Christian, Macey, Chris, Vilionskis, Aleksandras, Pezzella, Francesca Romana, Rosenørn, Amira, Roaldsen, Melinda Berg

2026

Overview

Abstract Introduction Inequity in stroke care in Europe has previously been reported despite the existence of evidence-based cost-effective interventions for both prevention and treatment. This report aims to provide comprehensive data on stroke care in Europe in 2023 and explore associations to European regions, organisational and economic factors. Patients and methods The Stroke Service Tracker, an annually collected survey-based dataset of aggregate summary data from participating European nations, was used with key performance indicators (KPIs) from the Stroke Action Plan for Europe (SAP-E). European regions were defined based on United Nations Geoscheme regions. Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and healthcare spending per capita were collected based on World Bank data. Results A total of 1,460,630 stroke events were reported in 2023 from 52 nations. Significant inequity was present in all data points and data quality varied significantly. Twenty (43.5%) nations have a national stroke plan in place, and in 19 (41.3%) work is ongoing. Quality programmes have been implemented in 20 (43.5%) nations. Implementation of a national stroke plan or a quality programme was associated with achieving more SAP-E KPIs (P < .001). There were regional differences in the number of met KPIs (P < .001). Both GDP and healthcare spending per capita were strongly correlated to meeting KPIs. Conclusion The inequity in stroke care persists in Europe. Implementation of a national stroke plan and a quality programme is associated with meeting more KPIs; however, economic factors may pose limitations. Access to high-quality data will support decision-making towards evidence-based and cost-effective care. Graphical Abstract Graphical Abstract

• Publisher: Oxford University Press,Oxford University Press (OUP)
• Subject: Basic Medicine / Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine / Delivery of Health Care / Epidemiologi / Epidemiology / Europe / Europe - epidemiology / GDP / Gross Domestic Product / Healthcare Disparities / Human health sciences / Humans / Medical and Health Sciences / Medicin och hälsovetenskap / Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper / Neurologie / Neurology / Neurology (clinical) / Original Research / Per capita / Sciences de la santé humaine / Stroke / Stroke - epidemiology / Stroke - therapy / stroke care / stroke services / stroke treatment