The importance of advocacy in advancing stroke care: The global stroke action coalition

作者：M. L. A. Nelson, Maria Mia Fredin Grupper, HB Van der Worp, Nicoletta Brunelli, Narayanaswamy Venketasubramanian, Fawaz Al-Mufti, Kaiz Asif, Ruth van Asperen, Angelique Balguid, Sarah Belson, Deidre Anne De Silva, Belen Velazquez Garcia, S. Haughton, Yue Jiang, Amy M. Mason, Sheila Martins, Pamela Naidoo, Jeyaraj Pandian, Michele Schaub Jackson, Katherine Setum, Christina Sperling, Yongjun Wang, Bo Norrving · 发表于：International Journal of Stroke · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.1177/17474930261428056 · 被引用次数：2 · 研究领域：Acute Ischemic Stroke Management、Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery、Global Public Health Policies and Epidemiology

Stroke represents one of the most significant global health challenges of the 21st century, with 11.9 million people experiencing stroke annually and a disproportionate burden falling on low- and middle-income countries, where 87% of stroke deaths and 89% of disability occur. Despite stroke being highly preventable-with 84% of the burden attributable to modifiable risk factors-and the availability of treatments that have proven to reduce the rate of death or disability, including stroke units, thrombolysis, and thrombectomy, these interventions remain inaccessible to most of the world's population. Advocacy-systematic efforts to influence policy, practice, and resource allocation through evidence-based engagement with decision-makers-has achieved notable successes such as establishing stroke units globally. However, individual advocacy efforts face structural limitations in addressing global stroke challenges. The Global Stroke Action Coalition (GSAC) was formed in 2024 as a coordinated, multi-sectoral initiative convened by the World Stroke Organization, uniting scientific, civil societies, and industry partners to transcend these limitations. The Coalition leverages established infrastructure and expertise to create a unified advocacy force capable of commanding attention from global health leaders. Centered around five strategic priorities-integrating stroke into national non-communicable disease (NCD) strategies, developing National Stroke Action Plans, securing funding c...