Development of a national stroke audit in Ireland: scoping review protocol.

Introduction Recent advances in stroke management and care have resulted in improved survival and outcomes. However, providing equitable access to acute care, rehabilitation and longer-term stroke care is challenging. Recent Irish evidence indicates variation in stroke outcomes across hospitals, and a need for continuous audit of stroke care to support quality improvement. The aim of this project is to develop a core minimum dataset for use in the new Irish National Audit of Stroke (INAS), which aims to improve the standard of stroke care in Ireland. This paper outlines the protocol for conducting a scoping review of international practice and guidelines in auditing acute and non-acute stroke care. Objective Identify data items that are currently collected by stroke audits internationally, and identify audit guidelines that exist for recommending inclusion of content in stroke audit datasets. Methods and analysis This scoping review will be conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). We will search the following databases: Medline Ovid; Embase; CINAHL EBSCOHost. Grey literature will also be searched for relevant materials, as will relevant websites. Study selection and review will be carried out independently by two researchers, with discrepancies resolved by a third. Data charting and synthesis will involve sub-dividing relevant sources of evidence, and synthesising data into three categories: i) acute stroke care; ii) non-acute stroke care; and iii) audit data collection procedures and resourcing. Data will be charted using a standardised form specific to each category. Consultation with knowledge users will be conducted at all stages of the scoping review. Discussion This scoping review will contribute to a larger project aimed at developing an internationally benchmarked stroke audit tool that will be used prospectively to collect data on all stroke admissions in Ireland, encompassing both acute and non-acute data items.