Stroke continues to affect the lives of many Americans, especially in North Carolina, and improving quality of care can make an important difference in health outcomes.    --Mehul Patel

Mehul Patel is interested in research that can have an immediate impact on the public's health.

 

"Stroke continues to affect the lives of many Americans, especially in North Carolina," he says, "and improving the quality of care provided to stroke patients can make an important difference in health outcomes."

 

Patel's current research examines Emergency Medical Services (EMS) care practices for possible strokes in North Carolina and examines the effect of advanced EMS capabilities on the receipt of optimal care.

 

"Although it remains an untapped resource, EMS can increase the timely delivery of potentially life-saving stroke treatments," he says. "I hope my research informs policy makers from hospitals and EMS agencies and encourages people to call 911 if they are experiencing or are with someone experiencing stroke symptoms."

 

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Carolina Public Health is a publication of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health. To view previous issues, please visit www.sph.unc.edu/cph.