In Situ Simulation to Improve Management of In-Hospital Strokes: Unexpected Challenges

Background: In-hospital strokes are life-threatening emergencies that require prompt and skillful treatment to prevent poor patient outcomes. Currently, however, a national gap in care exists for patients who experience an in-hospital stroke. Methods: Multidisciplinary team training programs have been shown to effectively improve health care provider skills for management of emergency situations, and in situ simulation (ISS) has effectively improved individual, team, and organizational learning. Results: However, ISS can be challenging to execute in the actual inpatient environment when hospital census is high. Conclusion: This discussion focuses on the challenges and benefits of ISS mock in-hospital stroke codes, as well as of alternative methods for improving the management of acute in-hospital strokes.