Emergency physicians, neurologists and nurses get free, accredited NIH Stroke Scale training and testing at American Stroke Associations Web site

Because of online training technology developed by Hillicon TrainingCampus of Austin, better care for stroke victims is a heartbeat away.

DALLAS, TX February 29, 2004--Now, emergency physicians, neurologists and nurses can take the NIH (National Institutes of Health) stroke scale training and testing free, and earn continuing education credit at the American Stroke Associations Web site at asa.trainingcampus.net. After completing the course, participants can instantly print a course completion certificate, which is archived on the Web site, for Part I and Part II of the training.

No other known organization offers the NIH stroke scale training, testing and course completion certificate free, and physicians cannot get continuing education credits for the training any place else, says Thomas Brott, M.D., neurologist, Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida and American Stroke Association volunteer.                              .

The NIH stroke scale is a clinical evaluation tool that medical professionals use to quantify neurologic deficit due to stroke. It is also widely used in clinical trials to assess stroke outcomes and recovery. Recently, it was used in clinical trials of tPA (tissue plasminogen activator) in ischemic stroke.

Medical professionals who are properly trained on the NIH stroke scale:
are more timely and accurate in the diagnosis and treatment of acute stroke;
improve effectiveness of patient care;
increase use of acute stroke therapies;
reduce stroke morbidity and mortality;
improve long-term outcomes;
reduce healthcare system costs; and
increase patient satisfaction.

Brott says, Physicians need proper training and testing to improve their ability to accurately diagnose and treat acute stroke. A high demand for free and convenient training has caused the American Stroke Association to develop an advisory group, consisting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The group developed the NIH stroke scale training Web site using a global technology platform developed by Hillicon TrainingCampus to meet the physicians demands. As an added benefit, the training provides up to three hours of CME credits / 3.6 CEU credits, which covers the needs of medical professionals who are seeking specific stroke information to maintain their accreditation.

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About the American Stroke Association
The goal of the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association, is to reduce disability and death from stroke through research, education and advocacy. In its 2002-03 fiscal year, the association spent $141.4 million on stroke. Learn more about stroke by calling the American Stroke Association at 1-888-4-STROKE or logon to StrokeAssociation.org. You can also find information on the American Heart Associations Web site at americanheart.org.

About Hillicon TrainingCampus
The Hillicon TrainingCampus is a web-based platform that accelerates, improves and simplifies todays healthcare and medical research training requirements while meeting the needs of individual training projects. The Hillicon TrainingCampus platform provides a complete e-learning infrastructure, including software, hardware, 24/7 hosting, maintenance, backend support, technology compliance and the highest level of security.