Trauma-informed approaches emerged partly in response to research demonstrating that trauma is widespread across society, that it is highly correlated with mental health and that this is a costly public health issue. The fundamental shift in providing support using a trauma-informed approach is to move from thinking ‘What is wrong with you?’ to considering ‘What happened to you?’. This article, authored by trauma survivors and service providers, describes trauma-informed approaches to mental healthcare, why they are needed and how barriers can be overcome so that they can be implemented as an organisational change process. It also describes how past trauma can be understood as the cause of mental distress for many service users, how service users can be retraumatised by ‘trauma-uninformed’ staff and how staff can experience vicariously the service user's trauma and can themselves be traumatised by practices such as restraint and seclusion. Trauma-informed mental healthcare offers opportunities to improve service users' experiences, improve working environments for staff, increase job satisfaction and reduce stress levels by improving the relationships between staff and patients through greater understanding, respect and trust.

Background: Few studies have tracked stroke survivors through transitions across the health system and identified the most common trajectories and quality of care received. The objectives of our study were to examine the trajectories that incident stroke patients experience and to quantify the extent to which their care adhered to the best practices for stroke care. Methods: A population-based cohort of first-ever stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA) patients from the 2012/13 Ontario Stroke Audit was linked to administrative databases using an encrypted health card number to identify dominant trajectories (N=12,362). All trajectories began in the emergency department (ED) and were defined by the transitions that followed immediately after the ED. Quality indicators were calculated to quantify best practice adherence within trajectories. Results: Six trajectories of stroke care were identified with significant variability in patient characteristics and quality of care received. Almost two-thirds (64.5%) required hospital admission. Trajectories that only involved the ED had the lowest rates of brain and carotid artery imaging (91.5 and 44.2%, respectively). Less than 20% of patients in trajectories involving hospital admissions received care on a stroke unit. The trajectory involving inpatient rehabilitation received suboptimal secondary prevention measures. Conclusions: There are six main trajectories stroke patients follow, and adherence to best practices varies by trajectory. Trajectories resulting in patients being transitioned to home care following ED management only are least likely and those including inpatient rehabilitation are most likely to receive stroke best practices. Increased time in facility-based care results in greater access to best practices. Stroke patients receiving only ED care require closer follow-up by stroke specialists.

Background: Stroke is often preceded by transient symptoms. Although global stroke rates have been shown to be declining, previous studies have reported inconsistent temporal trends of transient ischemic attacks (TIA). The objective of the current study is to report the temporal trends of TIA admissions and outcomes in Canada over the last 11 years. Methods: We conducted a complete population cohort study using a national administrative database to study the temporal trend of age- and sex-adjusted TIA admission rates in Canada from 2003 to 2013. We also determined the rates of TIA and stroke diagnoses in the emergency department in the province of Ontario during the same period. We used multivariable analyses to study discharge location after acute hospitalization as well as 90-day stroke and/or TIA readmission rates. Results: Of 425,799 admissions to an acute care hospital for all stroke and TIA, 71,443 (16.8%) were TIA. The age- and sex-standardized rates of TIA admission decreased significantly during the study period from 30.0 to 20.6 per 100,000 (p<0.0001). In Ontario, decreasing TIA admissions is mirrored by decreasing rates of TIA directly discharged from the emergency department (55.1 to 46.8 per 100,000, p = 0.002). The odds of 90-day readmission rates for stroke or TIA are also decreasing (adjusted odds ratio, 0.97; 95% confidence interval, 0.96-0.99). Conclusions: We show that TIA admission rates have declined in the past 11 years in Canada, reflecting improved vascular risk reduction and stroke care. Future studies to confirm our findings on improved stroke or TIA recurrence rates are necessary.

Transient ischemic attacks (TIA) are a common presentation to the emergency department (ED) and are associated with an estimated 9% risk of stroke within 90 days.1 We report the case of a 72-year-old female who presented with orthostatic symptoms of facial weakness and dysarthria; that is, the patient’s symptoms were present when she was standing and resolved when supine. Neurological deficits present only when standing should alert the clinician to the importance of advanced neuroimaging to evaluate for acute arterial occlusion.

Background: Transient ischemic attack (TIA) and minor stroke are associated with a substantial risk of subsequent stroke; however, there is uncertainty about whether such patients require admission to hospital for their initial management. We used data from a clinical stroke registry to determine the frequency and predictors of hospitalization for TIA or minor stroke across the province of Ontario, Canada. Methods: The Ontario Stroke Registry collects information on a population-based sample of all patients seen in the emergency department with acute stroke or TIA in Ontario. We identified patients with minor ischemic stroke or TIA included in the registry between April 1, 2008, and March 31, 2011, and used multivariable analyses to evaluate predictors of hospitalization. Results: Our study sample included 8540 patients with minor ischemic stroke or TIA, 47.2% of whom were admitted to hospital, with a range of 37.6% to 70.3% across Ontario’s 14 local health integration network regions. Key predictors of admission were preadmission disability, vascular risk factors, presentation with weakness, speech disturbance or prolonged/persistent symptoms, arrival by ambulance, and presentation on a weekend or during periods of emergency department overcrowding. Conclusions: More than one-half of patients with minor stroke or TIA were not admitted to the hospital, and there were wide regional variations in admission patterns. Additional work is needed to provide guidance to health care workers around when to admit such patients and to determine whether discharged patients are receiving appropriate follow-up care.