John Witt, MD is a neurologist and medical director of the Stroke Program at TriStar Skyline Medical Center, has always enjoyed international travel, especially when opportunities arise to share ideas and resources in medicine. Building on past visits to China and recent developments in stroke care, he recently had the opportunity to visit and collaborate with a large, urban Chinese medical center.

In the U.S., heart disease is the number one cause of death and stroke is ranked fifth; whereas in China, stroke is the leading cause of death. Intrigued by this difference, Witt jumped at the chance to contribute when invited to visit Haikou People's Hospital, a 1700 bed affiliate of Xiang Ya Medical School of Central South University in the city of Haikou, Hainan Province, PRC.

"In many ways, stroke care in China is similar to that in the United States, and the hospital I visited has developed a number of innovative programs that could be beneficial to hospitals here at home," observed Witt. "Yet there are also distinct differences compared to the U.S., including access to emergency care, financial and insurance resources, integration of Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine, and approaches to rehabilitation."

He continued, " In addition to sharing thoughts on clinical cases, I spent time with Chinese department leaders discussing strategies for reducing thrombolytic and endovascular treatment delay and enhancing community education. Skyline has been a frontrunner among HCA facilities in the rapid delivery of stroke care so it makes sense to share what we've learned with other facilities having similar goals and to bring new ideas home to TriStar."

Witt had the opportunity to teach and demonstrate principles of neurology to residents in Haikou's general practice training program, a role he fulfills periodically for resident physicians here in the United States, as well.

"I have tremendous respect for the work being done by Chinese physicians and health institutions to advance the science and practice of neurology," he concluded. "By working together and sharing our experiences, we help each other to take better care of our patients."