Acute stroke care demands real-time, specialist-led treatment decisions, including thrombolysis and referral for mechanical thrombectomy. Pathways designed to deliver time-critical interventions for stroke patients are under significant pressure due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to this unprecedented burden on acute care services, stroke clinicians have had to reconfigure existing clinical pathways both within and between hospitals.

Incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) and digital communication support into clinical pathways offers an opportunity to mitigate the disruption to acute stroke care. In this case study, we describe how Royal Berkshire Hospital, in collaboration with Brainomix, a UK-based artificial intelligence software company, adopted technological innovation and integrated it into the hyperacute stroke pathway. A case is presented to demonstrate how this innovation can support patient care and deliver successful patient outcomes.

This model is proposed as one that can be adopted in other hospitals and networks to deliver safe and efficient hyperacute stroke care, ultimately improving patient outcomes while reducing the strain on overstretched services