Cerebrovascular Diseases Extra
A Diagnostic-Focused Mobile Stroke Unit Model Integrated with Emergency Medical Services for Scalable Prehospital Stroke Care
By Masahiko Hiroki and Masaki Misawa.
Abstract
Introduction
Mobile stroke units (MSUs) have demonstrated important clinical benefits in acute ischemic stroke, but broad implementation remains constrained by resource, staffing, and operational barriers. This article describes an emergency medical services (EMS)-integrated diagnostic-focused MSU (DF-MSU) model designed to improve implementation feasibility and scalability.
Methods
A conceptual design approach was used based on findings from a previous global survey of MSU programs. The model was guided by three design principles: cost reduction, operational simplification, and integration with existing EMS while preserving the CT-based diagnostic function of MSUs.