The "7 Ds" of Dartmouth-Hitchcock's Stroke Protocol

Find out how Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, trains clinical staff, including residents, in caring for stroke patients and their families.
We use the "7 Ds" of stroke survival:
1. Detection (Recognizing signs and symptoms)
2. Dispatch (Calling 911)
3. Delivery (Transporting and notifying the hospital)
4. Door (Immediate triage)
5. Data (Evaluation, lab studies, and CT imaging)
6. Decision (Diagnosis and decision on therapy)
7. Drug (Administration of medications)
This is the process from the initial phone call through immediate care at the hospital, shown here using DHMC's state-of-the-art Patient Safety Training Center.
This thorough training is part of the reason that DHMC received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes DHMC's commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment for at least 24 months, according to nationally accepted standards and recommendations.
Health care professionals can learn more about our stroke program at bit.ly/dh_hcpst..., and our Patient Safety Training Center at bit.ly/dh_pstc.
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