Community Stroke (CSR) Rehab

The RCA proudly collaborated with Ontario Health (CorHealth) to implement the provincial CSR Data Reporting Initiative. This work has supported 43 organizations across Ontario to begin reporting standardized data as of April 1, 2026.

Why a CSR Data Strategy Matters

The CSR Data Strategy enables the collection of consistent, high-quality data that will:

  • Show the stroke survivor’s journey through community rehab
  • Measure and evaluate the delivery of best-practice care
  • Guide system planning across Ontario

Building on our experience leading the total joint replacement National Ambulatory Care Reporting System Clinic Lite (NACRS-CL) implementation, the RCA worked closely with Ontario Health (CorHealth) and the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) to:

  • Provide guidance in data collection and reporting
  • Help organizations assess current practices and develop action plans aligned with the standardized CSR dataset
  • Establish implementation structures, including identifying project sponsors, project leads, and data leads
  • Create tools and resources to help CSR programs meet reporting requirements
  • Coordinate and recommend topics for project webinars
  • Maintain clear, consistent communication with CSR program contacts
  • Track progress and issues and report regularly to Ontario Health (CorHealth)

The RCA is continuing to provide short-term transition support as implementation is established, helping to ensure a smooth transition.

Driving Provincial Consistency Through Outcome Measurement

The RCA has led the Functional Clinical Outcome Measure(s) for Community Stroke Rehabilitation in Ontario initiative, in partnership with Heart & Stroke and Ontario Health (CorHealth).

This initiative identified a standardized outcome measure for use across Ontario to support consistent impact evaluation and quality improvement.

For this initiative, the RCA worked in collaboration with provincial and regional partners to:

  • Conduct a comprehensive literature review
  • Undertake a province-wide survey as part of an environmental scan of outcome measures currently in use across CSR programs in Ontario
  • Engage subject matter experts within Ontario, across Canada and internationally
  • Incorporate patient and care partner perspectives to ensure the work remained grounded in lived experience

Through a structured, multi-phase process, including two Modified Delphi processes, the Stroke Impact Scale (SIS) was identified as the recommended outcome measure for use across CSR programs. This patient-reported measure captures functional outcomes across multiple domains and supports consistent evaluation of patient progress and comparison of outcomes across programs.

As of April 2026, this phase of work has been completed. The RCA will lead an implementation pilot with select CSR sites in 2026/27 to assess feasibility and identify optimal strategies to support adoption, with findings intended to inform broader provincial implementation aligned with Ontario’s CSR model of care.