{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,30]],"date-time":"2026-06-30T11:47:53Z","timestamp":1782820073138,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":19,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,29]],"date-time":"2026-06-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782691200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":28,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,2]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The Stroke Action Plan for Europe (SAP-E) calls for equitable access to evidence-based acute stroke care, yet within-country variation remains underexplored. We mapped reperfusion capabilities, imaging resources and organisational structures across all Norwegian hospitals providing acute stroke care.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Patients and methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>In 2024, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of all 50 acute stroke hospitals. Data covered reperfusion protocols, advanced imaging availability and the organisational maturity of regional stroke networks. Hospitals were categorised by their most advanced routinely available strategy: intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) within 0\u20134.5\u00a0h (IVT\u00a0\u2264\u00a04.5\u00a0h); IVT in wake-up stroke; IVT in both wake-up stroke and the extended window or endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) capability.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>All hospitals providing local acute stroke treatment offered IVT\u00a0\u2264\u00a04.5\u00a0h, while 3 hospitals in South-Eastern Norway had a stroke unit but transferred all acute patients directly to a comprehensive stroke centre. Eleven hospitals (22%) provided IVT\u00a0\u2264\u00a04.5\u00a0h only, 8 (16%) implemented IVT for wake-up stroke and 28 (56%) offered IVT for both wake-up and extended-window thrombolysis. Eight hospitals (16%) were EVT-capable, unevenly distributed. CT perfusion (CTP) was available in 28 hospitals (56%), and acute MRI in 17 (34%). Regional stroke networks varied widely in structure and activity, from well-organised, funded systems to inactive or absent networks.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Norway shows universal IVT access within 0\u20134.5\u00a0h but marked regional variation in advanced treatment, imaging and coordination. Strengthening and standardising regional stroke networks may be key to achieving SAP-E\u2019s vision of equitable, high-quality care.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1093\/esj\/aakag072","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,29]],"date-time":"2026-06-29T19:17:37Z","timestamp":1782760657000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Regional inequities in acute stroke care in Norway: a national benchmark for the \u201cstroke action plan for Europe\u201d implementation"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8853-4450","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Martin W","family":"Kurz","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology and Neuroscience Research Group, Stavanger University Hospital , Stavanger ,","place":["Norway"]},{"name":"Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen , Bergen 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Clinical Science, University of Bergen , Bergen ,","place":["Norway"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8267-6818","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mehdi","family":"Rezai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology and Neuroscience Research Group, Stavanger University Hospital , Stavanger ,","place":["Norway"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1308-041X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kathinka D","family":"Kurz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology and Stavanger Medical Imaging Laboratory, Stavanger University Hospital , Stavanger ,","place":["Norway"]},{"name":"Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Stavanger , Stavanger ,","place":["Norway"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4848-9063","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Melinda B","family":"Roaldsen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre of Digitalisation, Development and Integrative Care, University Hospital of North Norway , Troms\u00f8 ,","place":["Norway"]},{"name":"Department of Clinical Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway , Troms\u00f8 ,","place":["Norway"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9808-879X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Agnethe","family":"Eltoft","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway , Troms\u00f8 ,","place":["Norway"]},{"name":"Department of Neurology, University Hospital of North Norway , Troms\u00f8 ,","place":["Norway"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4844-4618","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hilde Karen","family":"Ofte","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology, Nordland Hospital Trust , Bod\u00f8 ,","place":["Norway"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0867-511X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fredrik","family":"Ildstad","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) , Trondheim ,","place":["Norway"]},{"name":"Stroke Unit, Department of Medicine, Trondheim University Hospital , Trondheim 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