Specialist unit improves outcome after acute stroke.

Stroke rehabilitation units are associated with reduced mortality, morbidity and length of stay, in much the same way that coronary care units are known to improve the acute care of patients who have had a heart attack. Such units have facilitated the development of drugs that may improve the outcomes following a heart attack. The acute stroke unit at King's Healthcare, London, was set up to improve the early management of stroke and facilitate the development of new treatments. The unit has just celebrated its first anniversary and this paper evaluates its work one year on, plus the implications for nursing practice.