Request Server from SC-10

Awards for QASC Research Program

  • Finalist: Asia Pacific Triple E Awards ‘Impactful Research Team of the Year’ for the Quality in Acute Stroke Care (QASC) Program.
  • Winner: Australian Cardiovascular Alliance (ACvA) Excellence in Cardiovascular Research Translation Award 2023
  • Finalist: Engagement Australia 2022 Excellence Awards. Award for Outstanding Engagement for Research Impact
  • Winner: Vice-Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Award, Excellence in Research and Research Partnerships for the Quality in Acute Stroke Care (QASC) Program 2019
  • Finalist: Federal Health Minister’s inaugural Award for Nursing Trailblazers 2019
  • Winner: Health Collaboration Awards: Service Delivery Category for The Angels Initiative (QASC Europe). European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) 2018

Awards QASC Europe Project

  • Winner: 2023 (Cardiovascular and Stroke Nurse) Stroke Article of the Year Award.

Awards QASC Implementation Project

  • Winner: NSW Premier’s Public Sector Award 2014 - Category: Improving Performance & Accountability
  • Winner: NSW Health Excellence in Nursing and Midwifery Awards 2014 - Excellence in Innovation Research (Prof Sandy Middleton)
  • Finalist: National Lead Clinicians Group 2014 Award - Excellence in Innovative Implementation of Clinical Practice
  • Winner: 2014 St Vincent's Clinic Foundation Clinical Excellence - Category of Emerging Researcher (Dr Anna Lydtin)
  • Winner: 5 Minute Research Pitch, Victoria University - Category: Science & Health (Simeon Dale)

Awards for QASC Trial

  • Canadian Stroke Congress Award for Impact in 2011
  • 2012 Stroke Article of the Year - American Heart Association Council on Cardiovascular Nursing
  • Included in the Faculty of 1000 Library - Top 2% of international articles (biology and medical research) 

QASC Economic Evaluations

There have been two independent economic evaluation publications related to the QASC Program of work:

  • The first, published in 2017 estimated that if 65% of eligible Australian stroke patients were managed using the FeSS Protocols over a 12 month period, there would be asaving of AUD $281 million (gross).1
  • The second economic evaluation (2021) estimated that if the FeSS protocols were in use for a five-year period, this would prevent 1,154 deaths and yield an extra 876 years of life lived and 3,180 QALYs. Additionally, the implementation of the QASC protocol would save the Australian healthcare system more than AUD 65.2 million. From a societal perspective, using the value of statistical life year, the savings would be AUD 251.7 million.2

Clinical Practice Guidelines

Widespread adoption of the FeSS Protocols throughout NSW and the inclusion of these care processes in the Stroke Foundation audits has seen increased uptake in their use in Australian hospitals.3 We conducted a successful translation The translational capacity of the FeSS Protocols (as evidenced in the QASC Europe project) has also seen their inclusion in other international stroke guidelines (UK; US; Lazio, Italy; Romania; and Kazakhstan (under consideration)).

There is now a Strong Recommendation to support use of the FeSS Protocols in the Australian Clinical Guidelines for Stroke Management.

Stroke Foundation Living Guidelines

Data variables to measure the use of the FeSS Protocols have now been included in the Australian Stroke Clinical Registry AuSCR and the Registry of Stroke Care Quality (RES-Q).

Media resources

If you would like to get in contact with us, please email QASC@acu.edu.au

  1. Australian Clinical Trials Alliance. Economic evaluation of investigator-initiated clinical trials conducted by networks. Sydney: ACSHQC 2017.
  2. Marquina C, Ademi Z, Zomer E, Ofori-Asenso R, Tate R, Liew D. Cost Burden and Cost-Effective Analysis of the Nationwide Implementation of the Quality in Acute Stroke Care Protocol in Australia. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis 2021; 30(8): 105931.
  3. Purvis T, Middleton S, Craig LE, et al. Inclusion of a care bundle for fever, hyperglycaemia and swallow management in a National Audit for acute stroke: evidence of upscale and spread. Implement Sci 2019; 14(1): 87.

Grimshaw JM, Thomas RE, MacLennan G, Fraser C, Ramsay CR, Vale L, et al. Effectiveness and efficiency of guideline dissemination and implementation strategies. Health Technol Assess. 2004 Feb;8(6):1-72

Dixon, N. (2006). Getting Clinical Audit Right to Benefit Patients. Romsey: Healthcare Quality Quest. http://www.hqq.co.uk/html/publications.html

Have a question?

We're available 9am–5pm AEDT,
Monday to Friday

If you’ve got a question, our AskACU team has you covered. You can search FAQs, text us, email, live chat, call – whatever works for you.

Live chat with us now

Chat to our team for real-time
answers to your questions.

Launch live chat

Visit our FAQs page

Find answers to some commonly
asked questions.

See our FAQs