• Kjell Asplund, Kerstin Hulter Åsberg, Peter Appelros, Daniela Bjarne, Marie Eriksson, Asa Johansson, Fredrik Jonsson, Bo Norrving, Birgitta Stegmayr, Andreas Terént, Sari Wallin, and Per-Olov Wester.
• Riks-Stroke, Medicine, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden. kjell.asplund@branneriet.se
• Int J Stroke. 2011 Apr 1; 6 (2): 99-108.

BackgroundRiks-Stroke, the Swedish Stroke Register, is the world's longest-running national stroke quality register (established in 1994) and includes all 76 hospitals in Sweden admitting acute stroke patients. The development and maintenance of this sustainable national register is described.MethodsRiks-Stroke includes information on the quality of care during the acute phase, rehabilitation and secondary prevention of stroke, as well as data on community support. Riks-Stroke is unique among stroke quality registers in that patients are followed during the first year after stroke. The data collected describe processes, and medical and patient-reported outcome measurements. The register embraces most of the dimensions of health-care quality (evidence-based, safe, provided in time, distributed fairly and patient oriented).ResultAnnually, approximately 25,000 patients are included. In 2009, approximately 320,000 patients had been accumulated (mean age 76-years). The register is estimated to cover 82% of all stroke patients treated in Swedish hospitals. Among critical issues when building a national stroke quality register, the delicate balance between simplicity and comprehensiveness is emphasised. Future developments include direct transfer of data from digital medical records to Riks-Stroke and comprehensive strategies to use the information collected to rapidly implement new evidence-based techniques and to eliminate outdated methods in stroke care.ConclusionsIt is possible to establish a sustainable quality register for stroke at the national level covering all hospitals admitting acute stroke patients. Riks-Stroke is fulfilling its main goals to support continuous quality improvement of Swedish stroke services and serve as an instrument for following up national stroke guidelines.© 2010 The Authors. International Journal of Stroke © 2010 World Stroke Organization.

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