Stroke Center Certification

Take the first step towards becoming a recognized WSO Stroke Center by showing your interest here

Elevate Your Stroke Services: Join the WSO Certification Program

The World Stroke Organization (WSO) offers a unique Certification of Stroke Centers program, designed to ensure the implementation of evidence-based strategies across two levels of stroke services. This program has significantly enhanced stroke care and facilitated the organization and monitoring of networks worldwide.

Anchored in the WSO Roadmap for Quality of Stroke Services, this certification program provides a comprehensive framework for the data-driven monitoring and evaluation of stroke services globally.

Adherence to Best Practices: Data-driven certification ensures that hospitals follow evidence-based practices, continually updated based on the latest research and clinical guidelines.
Enhanced Efficiency: Streamlined processes for rapid assessment and treatment improve overall efficiency and reduce treatment time.
Continuous Quality Improvement: Certification facilitates the continuous improvement of services.
Cost Savings: Lower treatment costs and shorter hospital stays can result in significant financial savings for the health care providers.
Better Patient Outcomes: Certified stroke centers ensure high-quality care, leading to better patient outcomes, reduced disability and mortality rates, decreasing the overall burden of stroke on the healthcare system.
Resource Optimization: By reducing the length of hospital stay and the need for long-term rehabilitation, certified centers can lower healthcare costs, benefiting government-funded healthcare programs and gaining access to additional resources.
Leadership and Training: Certified stroke centers engage as organizers and trainers for the local network.

Step-by-Step guide to the WSO Certification process

The guide provides a detailed overview of each step in the certification process, along with required documents, data specifications, and links to templates for easy preparation.

Register Hospital

A stroke physician or hospital administrator can register the hospital for WSO certification.
Proceed to Registration.
Select the country, register the hospital, review and accept the terms and conditions.
Fill in the hospital and user details and submit.
Once approved, you will receive a confirmation email and login credentials to access your account.

Self-Assessment

The self-assessment consists questions about infrastructure, processes, diagnostic services, resources, protocols, and treatments. All questions must be answered.
Based on your responses, the hospital can qualify as an:
- Essential Stroke Centre: If you meet all mandatory criteria and 75% of the recommended criteria.
- Advanced Stroke Centre: If you meet all mandatory criteria and 75% of the recommended criteria.

Self-assessment form

Data Upload & Apply

Based on the self-assessment result displayed on your dashboard, you can apply for Essential/Advanced Stroke Centre certification.
Make the payment. The fee covers the cost of on site reviewing, processing, and administrative expenses associated with the certification. Click here to know the fee structure (based on World Bank classification).
Upload the required documents. You can find the list of documents here. All sections of the documents must be uploaded.
Upload the quality KPIs of the past four months using the specific template. You can view/download the template here. Upload the quality KPIs of the past four months using the specific template. You can view/download the template here. You can view the WSO quality KPIs here. All fields must be completed for calculation purposes. If the hospital uses RES-Q, click on "Upload Data from RES-Q" to populate the information automatically. Once uploaded, the system will show the performance assessment of your hospital versus the WSO target KPIs.
Only if all the documents are uploaded and the quality KPIs are met, you will be able to proceed with the final submission of the application for certification.

On-site Assessment

Once the application is submitted, WSO officer will review and assign the hospital to the assesor for the physical audit within 7 days of the application.
The assessor will review all the information/documents provided by the hospital for the application.
The assessor(s) will visit the hospital and submit their assessment to the WSO certification committee.If any additional information is required, the assessor will reach out to the Initiator before submitting their assessment to the WSO certification committee.

Certification Decision

Based on the final review and assessment, WSO Certification committee will announce the final decision.
The certification will be valid for three years, after which the hospital must apply for re-certification, following the same process.
Annual quality KPI data submission required for continued compliance.

Important information

The point of contact for the hospital is the ‘Initiator,’ who registered the hospital on the certification portal.
Additional members can register to their hospital once it is created by the initiator. The initiator will get the notification to approve/reject the member from their hospital. They will have similar access rights.
You have the option to save the information already entered/uploaded to the application.
Once you have paid the fee, and you are unable to submit the final application (either some document is missing or some quality KPIs are not met), you can resubmit the quality data. Payment once made is valid for 12 months to submit that particular application.
Quality KPIs will be reviewed annually (online). Hospitals must upload 12 months of data after certification, using the same template. Email notifications will be sent prior to the due date.
Terms of Reference (ToR) - This document defines the principles, processes, and requirements for the certification of stroke centers according to the World Stroke Organization (WSO) standards, with the goal of improving the quality of stroke care globally.

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Become a Member

WSO membership connects you to a global network of people who are committed to and support each other to improve stroke prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and support.

Why join us?