Status on stroke and stroke care in Europe 2023 : Stroke Service Tracker 2023 data based on 1,460,360 strokes in 47 European nations
(2026) In European Stroke Journal 11(2). p.1-9- 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... (More)
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.
(Less)
- author
- author collaboration
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026-02-09
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- epidemiology, Europe, stroke, stroke care, stroke services, stroke treatment
- in
- European Stroke Journal
- volume
- 11
- issue
- 2
- article number
- aakag008
- pages
- 1 - 9
- publisher
- SAGE Publications
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:41712681
- scopus:105030633061
- ISSN
- 2396-9881
- DOI
- 10.1093/esj/aakag008
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2026. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Stroke Organisation.
- id
- 0110c6c6-b9fc-4b4d-b2ee-f3a764e3dc2e
- date added to LUP
- 2026-04-16 13:11:16
- date last changed
- 2026-10-03 23:13:00
@article{0110c6c6-b9fc-4b4d-b2ee-f3a764e3dc2e,
abstract = {{<p>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.</p>}},
author = {{Christensen, Hanne and Pezzella, Francesca Romana and Roaldsen, Melinda Berg and Tomek, Ales and Ovesen, Christian and Wilkie, Arlene and Budincevic, Hrvoje and Dichgans, Martin and Fischer, Urs and Grundtvig, Josefine and Kelly, Peter and Lunde, Grethe and Macey, Chris and Mikulik, Robert and Rosenørn, Amira and Santo, Gustavo and de Sousa, Diana Aguiar and Tiu, Cristina and Sacco, Simona and Vilionskis, Aleksandras and Norrving, Bo}},
issn = {{2396-9881}},
keywords = {{epidemiology; Europe; stroke; stroke care; stroke services; stroke treatment}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{02}},
number = {{2}},
pages = {{1--9}},
publisher = {{SAGE Publications}},
series = {{European Stroke Journal}},
title = {{Status on stroke and stroke care in Europe 2023 : Stroke Service Tracker 2023 data based on 1,460,360 strokes in 47 European nations}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/esj/aakag008}},
doi = {{10.1093/esj/aakag008}},
volume = {{11}},
year = {{2026}},
}