Stroke care: effectiveness of quality improvement collaboratives

Stroke remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. To tackle the negative impacts of stroke, a high standard of clinical practice and a commitment to continuous quality improvement is needed across the stroke care pathway. One approach to quality improvement is the formation and implementation of quality improvement collaboratives. However, there are several barriers to the implementation of a quality improvement collaborative for stroke care which may impact on its success. This article critically appraises a systematic review that assessed the effectiveness of quality improvement collaboratives for driving improvements in stroke care and explored the barriers to implementing a quality improvement collaborative to improve care.