The Emergency Medicine Foundation announced that Genentech has provided an educational grant to establish a research program to help determine how legislative and organizational protocols are impacting patient access to stroke treatment, as well as patient outcomes within the affected geographic areas.

The Emergency Medicine Foundation (EMF) Research Grant Program is offering applicants up to $100,000 for a one-year research project in health policy or health services research topics. Both review and awarding decisions will be made independent of the sponsor.

Currently at the county, state and even regional level, systems of care are being developed which integrate stroke-enabled hospitals, primary stroke centers and comprehensive stroke centers into a regional system, similar to trauma, to ensure optimal pre-hospital identification and triage to appropriate stroke facilities.

Applicant topics can include but are not limited to:

• Changes in Joint Commission, Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program, state departments of health or similar stroke center certification rates as a result of legislation;
• Implementation and impact of emergency medical services routing and triage protocols on patient arrival times, stroke hospital destinations and treatment rates;
• Change in treatment rates of patients arriving at appropriate stroke centers and the effect on patient outcomes, including disability and death; and
• Implementation of continuous quality improvement programs as it relates to national standards such as "Get With the Guidelines."

The deadline for applications is Feb. 1, 2011. Applications can be submitted online.