Abstract TP230: Leveraging Technology to Expand and Improve Stroke Education

Introduction: Stroke education remains a critical need amid a national shortage of stroke expertise. A stroke network with limited staff recognized this gap and began offering monthly in-person education in 2012. In 2019, the program expanded to virtual platforms to broaden reach and promote stroke care standards. As attendance and demand grew, it became clear that technology upgrades were essential. The network transitioned from manual to fully electronic continuing education credit processing streamlining operations and enhancing the participant experience. Methods: Previously, the processing of continuing education (CE) credits was a manual, time-consuming, and labor-intensive task. Given that this educational offering is accredited for a wide range of disciplines—including RN, MD, EMS, PT/OT, SLP, RRT, and RX—the process required additional coordination to ensure inclusivity and compliance with each discipline’s requirements. To streamline operations, we have transitioned to a fully electronic system using power automate technology, a platform that automates repetitive tasks and workflows across various applications and services at minimal cost. This new system now handles digital sign-in sheets, post event evaluations, and the automated delivery of CE certificates or access links. Attendees simply scan a QR code or click a discipline-specific link, complete a brief questionnaire, and automatically receive an email with their certificate or further instructions. Results: This transition has significantly reduced manual workload, increased operational efficiency, and enhanced the overall participant experience. This helped save roughly 100 hours of manually tasks per year. These virtual offerings have now reached 39 states. While not everyone chose to claim credit for the education provided, just over the past year 3388 continuing credit hours were claimed (157 CME, 2333 CNE, 160 EMS and 738 other disciplines) with participants now receive their CE credits more quickly. The success of this process has led to its implementation across additional areas. Conclusions: Adopting this platform enables networks or hospitals to expand their stroke education offerings by streamlining backend processes, saving time, and simplifying the tracking of CE data. We remain committed to exploring new technologies that further enhance efficiency and effectiveness.