Collaboration between emergency medical services (EMS) and hospitals receiving stroke patients forms the foundation of stroke survival.
For these relationships to flourish takes strong communication and coordination, engagement in quality improvement activities, professional respect – and joint workshops such as the simulation training that took place in Zagreb on 18 June.
The event brought together neurologists and EMS physicians from five Croatian regions – Sisak, Virovitica, Bjelovar, Varaždin, and Zabok.
The multidisciplinary format made this training special, says Angels consultant Maria Sheverdina, who coordinated the event. “Each regional team included both neurologists and EMS physicians, creating a realistic environment for joint decision-making and teamwork across the entire stroke pathway.”
The event was hosted at the EMS Center Zagreb, where participants were welcome by Dr Tanja Pandak, head of EMS Center Zagreb, Prof. Zdravka Poljakovic, President of the Croatian Neurological Society, and Saša Balija, Assistant Director of Nursing at the Croatian Institute of Emergency Medicine. The support and commitment of Dr Pandak had been cricual in organizing the event, Maria said.
Dr Ivan Peric and Dr Nikola Blazevic, both stroke neurologists at University Hospital Zagreb, gave a presentation on intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular treatment for acute stroke, which was followed by a presentation on stroke management in the prehospital phase by Gorana Vušković Narsete of EMS Center Zagreb.
Prof. Hrvoje Budinčević, Head of Stroke and Intensive Care Unit at University Hospital Sveti Duh, and Saša Balija spoke about the importance of quality monitoring and data in hospitals and EMS respectively.
Concluding the morning’s program, Drs Peric and Blazevic joined Ivana Marlka of the EMS Center Zagreb to discuss the importance of follow-up and communication between EMS and hospital teams.
The simulation started in an ambulance, where participants managed the prehospital phase of stroke care (while their actions were relayed to the rest of the group via video link), and continued in the simulation center, following the patient journey through hospital admission and acute stroke treatment.
It was jointly led by Dr Ivan Peric and Dr Nikola Blazevic from University Hospital Zagreb and and Ivana Marelja and Gorana Vušković Narsete from EMS Center Zagreb, ensuring that participants experienced the stroke pathway from both the prehospital and hospital perspectives.
The training represented the next step in the development of stroke simulation education in Croatia, Maria said.
The simulation center was first launched in November 2025 through a collaboration between the Angels Initiative, EMS Center Zagreb, and Prof. Zdravka Poljaković. On that occasion, Croatian stroke and EMS teams had the opportunity to learn from experienced Lithuanian stroke experts and explore the benefits of simulation-based training for improving coordination between prehospital and in-hospital stroke care.
Less than a year later, the June training was successfully delivered by a multidisciplinary Croatian team, demonstrating the growing expertise and commitment of local neurology and EMS teams to advancing stroke care through education, collaboration, and simulation.
