To improve quality and to overcome the wide discrepancies in stroke care both within- and between European countries, the European Stroke Organisation Executive Committee initiated in 2007 activities to establish certification processes for stroke units and stroke centres. The rapidly expanding evidence base in stroke care provided the mandate for the European Stroke Organisation Stroke Unit-Committee to develop certification procedures for stroke units and stroke centres with the goals of setting standards for stroke treatment in Europe, improving quality and minimising variation. The purpose of this article is to present the certification criteria and the auditing process for stroke units and stroke centres that aim to standardise and harmonise care for stroke patients, and hence become members of the European Stroke Organisation Stroke Unit and Stroke Centre network. Standardised application forms and guidelines for national and international auditors have been developed and updated by members of the European Stroke Organisation Stroke Unit-Committee. Key features are availability of trained personnel, diagnostic equipment, acute treatment and collaboration with other stroke-caregivers. After submission, the application is reviewed by one national and two international auditors. Based on their reports, the Stroke Unit-Committee will make a final decision. Validating on-site visits for a subset of stroke units and stroke centres are planned. We herein describe a novel, European Stroke Organisation-based online certification process of stroke units and stroke centres. This is a major step forward towards high-quality stroke care across Europe. The additional value by connecting high-quality European Stroke Organisation Stroke Unit and Stroke Centre is facilitation of future collaboration and research activities, enabling building and maintenance of a high-quality stroke care network in Europe.

Department of Clinical Research University of Basel Basel Switzerland

Department of Neurology and Sleep Medicine Acibadem City Clinic Tokuda Hospital Sofia Bulgaria

Department of Neurology and Stroke Center University Hospital Basel Basel Switzerland

Department of Neurology Centre for Neurovascular Diseases Haukeland University Hospital Bergen Norway

Department of Neurology Istanbul Bilim University Istanbul Turkey

Department of Neurology University Hospital Kralovske Vinohrady and Charles University Prague Prague Czech Republic

Department of Neuroscience Modena University Hospital S Agostino Estense Hospital Modena Italy

Department of Stroke Medicine Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Dorchester UK

Neurological Department and Stroke Unit Hospital of Jihlava Jihlava Czech Republic

Neurorehabilitation Unit Center for Medicine of Aging and Rehabilitation Felix Platter Hospital University of Basel Basel Switzerland

Stroke Center and Department of Neurology Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam The Netherlands

Stroke Centre and Department of Neurology and Neurorehabilitation Vivantes Hospital Neukölln Berlin Germany

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Action Plan for Stroke in Europe 2018-2030