The results of this study suggest that progressive resistance strength training is a feasible fitness option for some people with multiple sclerosis. Factors perceived to be important for programme completion suggest that choosing encouraging leaders with knowledge of exercise, and exercising in a group may contribute to programme success.

Adults with MS benefited from a PRE programme by improving muscle performance and physical activities, without adverse events. These findings suggest that PRE may be a feasible and useful fitness alternative for people with mild to moderate disability due to MS.

Objectives:To evaluate the impact of the Victorian Stroke Telemedicine (VST) program during its first 12 months on the quality of care provided to patients presenting with suspected stroke to hospitals in regional Victoria.Design: Historical controlled cohort study comparing outcomes during a 12-month control period with those for the initial 12 months of full implementation of the VST program at each hospital.Participants: Adult patients with suspected stroke presenting to the emergency departments of the participating hospitals. Main outcome measures:Indicators for key processes of care, including symptom onset-to-arrival, door-to-first medical review, and door-to-CT times; provision and timeliness of provision of thrombolysis to patients with ischaemic stroke.Results: 2887 patients with suspected stroke presented to participating emergency departments during the control period, 3178 during the intervention period; the patient characteristics were similar for both periods. A slightly larger proportion of patients with ischaemic stroke who arrived within 4.5 hours of symptom onset received thrombolysis during the intervention than during the control period (37% v 30%). Door-to-C T scan time (median, 25 min [IQR, 13-49 min] v 34 min [IQR, 18-76 min]) and door-to-needle time for stroke thrombolysis (73 min [IQR, 56-96 min] v 102 min [IQR, 77-128 min]) were shorter during the intervention. The proportions of patients who received thrombolysis and had a symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage (4% v 16%) or died in hospital (6% v 20%) were smaller during the intervention period.Conclusions: Telemedicine has provided Victorian regional hospitals access to expert care for emergency department patients with suspected acute stroke. Eligible patients with ischaemic stroke are now receiving stroke thrombolysis more quickly and safely.The known: Telemedicine support has improved access to acute stroke therapies in regional hospitals overseas, but has not been provided on a large scale in Australia.The new: The Victorian Stroke Telemedicine (VST) program in 16 hospitals in regional Victoria was associated with improved delivery of acute stroke therapies, including providing thrombolysis more quickly and safely. The implications:The VST program has improved access to stroke specialists in regional Victoria and the quality of care for people with acute stroke. The program is now fully funded by the Victorian government.

Background and Purpose— We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention to improve triage, treatment, and transfer for patients with acute stroke admitted to the emergency department (ED). Methods— A pragmatic, blinded, multicenter, parallel group, cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted between July 2013 and September 2016 in 26 Australian EDs with stroke units and tPA (tissue-type plasminogen activator) protocols. Hospitals, stratified by state and tPA volume, were randomized 1:1 to intervention or usual care by an independent statistician. Eligible ED patients had acute stroke <48 hours from symptom onset and were admitted to the stroke unit via ED. Our nurse-initiated T 3 intervention targeted (1) Triage to Australasian Triage Scale category 1 or 2; (2) Treatment: tPA eligibility screening and appropriate administration; clinical protocols for managing fever, hyperglycemia, and swallowing; (3) prompt (<4 hours) stroke unit Transfer. It was implemented using (1) workshops to identify barriers and solutions; (2) face-to-face, online, and written education; (3) national and local clinical opinion leaders; and (4) email, telephone, and site visit follow-up. Outcomes were assessed at the patient level. Primary outcome: 90-day death or dependency (modified Rankin Scale score of ≥2); secondary outcomes: functional dependency (Barthel Index ≥95), health status (Short Form [36] Health Survey), and ED quality of care (Australasian Triage Scale; monitoring and management of tPA, fever, hyperglycemia, swallowing; prompt transfer). Intention-to-treat analysis adjusted for preintervention outcomes and ED clustering. Patients, outcome assessors, and statisticians were masked to group allocation. Results— Twenty-six EDs (13 intervention and 13 control) recruited 2242 patients (645 preintervention and 1597 postintervention). There were no statistically significant differences at follow-up for 90-day modified Rankin Scale (intervention: n=400 [53.5%]; control n=266 [48.7%]; P =0.24) or secondary outcomes. Conclusions— This evidence-based, theory-informed implementation trial, previously effective in stroke units, did not change patient outcomes or clinician behavior in the complex ED environment. Implementation trials are warranted to evaluate alternative approaches for improving ED stroke care. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://www.anzctr.org.au . Unique identifier: ACTRN12614000939695.

The findings suggest that a clinically useful and responsive balance and mobility test battery should include one component of the CTSIB (Shumway-Cook & Horak, 1986), RR (step stance), ST and gait velocity.