The Australian Stroke Data Tool (AuSDaT) was built to offer hospital clinicians in acute and rehabilitation settings a single data collection tool for monitoring stroke care.
The AuSDaT was built to replace the National Stroke Audit tool and Australian Stroke Clinical Registry (AuSCR) web tool. This new integrated data management system has been used since 2015 for Stroke Foundation national audits of acute and in-hospital rehabilitation services.
The AuSDaT is also currently used to collect patient data for the AuSCR. Further features allow the AuSDaT to be used to import or export data for other stroke programs, including the Safe Implementation of Treatments in Stroke (SITS) and International Stroke Perfusion Imaging Registry (INSPIRE). The extensive data dictionary, functions, and ability to add variables, means researchers can also apply to use the tool for specific projects.
The Stroke Foundation in partnership with The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, led the development of the tool.
About the governance
The governance of the AuSDaT is enacted through two levels- the AuSDaT Coordinating Committee and the Australian Stroke Coalition (ASC).
The AuSDaT Coordinating Committee, which reports to the ASC, provides oversight and broad operational direction to ensure the optimal functioning of the AuSDaT according to the policies and procedures approved by the ASC, as part of a wider objective to improve data and quality of care for stroke in Australia.
The current chair of the AuSDaT Coordinating Committee is Professor Geoff Cloud.
The National Stroke Data Dictionary includes the variables drawn upon from the Audit, AuSCR, two international data registries SITS & INSPIRE, alongside contributions from three time-limited (research) data programs: Thrombolysis Implementation in Stroke (TIPS) trial, the Victorian Stroke Telemedicine Program and the T3 Trial. Additional variables used in the Building Efficient and Equitable Pathways to and through Rehabilitation in Stroke (BEEPRS) project on monitoring access to rehabilitation services are also possible to collect.
More about the benefits of the AuSDaT
- Single login to one tool that uses consistent data definitions and meets all data collection, monitoring and reporting needs;
- A significant reduction in data entry times by entering patient record data only once, and not separately, for each program;
- The capacity to focus on local performance monitoring in particular aspects of patient care for set periods of time to drive quality improvement;
- Real-time web-based reporting of collected data to assess performance against NHMRC approved Clinical Guidelines; to benchmark other comparative hospitals and state and national averages; and to monitor improvement in patient care over time; and
- The ability to tailor sets of variables for local quality improvement monitoring drawing on the options from the National Stroke Data Dictionary.
Australian Stroke Clinical Registry (AuSCR)
The AuSCR is a national, collaborative national effort to monitor, promote, and improve the quality of acute stroke care. The data collected by the AuSCR can be used to guide hospital quality improvement activities to reduce variations in care, and ultimately, decrease preventable deaths, disability, or recurrent stroke.
Data collected by the AuSCR includes information on the type of stroke, medical treatments received in hospital, any medical complications, living arrangements after discharge from hospital, and patient outcomes 90 -180 days following admission for acute hospital treatment. The data in AuSCR can also be reliably linked to other datasets, such a hospital administrative or Medicare claims data, to capture the whole patient journey and reduce the items that need to be obtained directly.
For further information about the AuSCR, click on the following links:
- Most recent annual reports
- List of hospitals participating in the AuSCR
- List of past and current research projects using AuSCR data or recruiting participants through the AuSCR
- General information for consumers
Stroke Foundation Audit Programs
The Stroke Foundation monitors and measures stroke care against the Clinical Guidelines for Stroke Management through the National Stroke Audit program.
The program alternates annually between the Acute services audit and the Rehabilitation services audit. An organisational survey is also collected from each hospital to describe the resources available to treat stroke.
The acute audit tracks the effectiveness of acute stroke care- from the availability of stroke units, to timely assessments, interventions, discharge planning and outcomes. Most recent acute audit annual report (includes the list of participating services).
The rehabilitation audit tracks the adherence of evidence-based stroke care from rehabilitation services, to recovery goal setting process, and discharge outcomes. Most recent rehabilitation audit annual report (includes the list of participating services).
It is also possible to request access to variable bundles for spot audits between formal collection periods. An audit typically requires a minimum of 40 consecutive medical records of eligible patients to be reviewed.
Requests to access data in the AuSDaT
The underlying principle of the AuSDaT is that data collected should be used wherever possible to promote improved stroke care. However, irrespective of whether an activity is for quality improvement (QI), evaluation, or research, the activity must be conducted according to ethical principles and guidelines.
All requests for secondary use of the data by a third party usually need to be assessed by an ethics committee as either requiring a full, low risk, or exemption approval process.
For further information, contact the AuSDaT Program Manager.
Supporting documentation
The following documents are available to assist you with your data collection.
| AuSDaT National Stroke Data Dictionary | Underpinning AuSDaT is the National Stroke Data Dictionary (NSDD), which provides standardised definitions, coding and recording guidance for all data items collected in AuSDaT. |
| AuSDaT Policies and Procedures | Outlines the policies and procedures governing the AuSDaT operation |
| AuSDaT Introductory Fact Sheet | General introductory information about the AuSDaT. |
Contact us
For further information about the AuSDaT please contact the AuSDaT Program Manager at ausdat@florey.edu.au or phone (03) 9035 7125.