What this indicator shows
TS4 describes the timeliness of transfer for patients who are referred for mechanical thrombectomy (MT). It focuses on how quickly patients move through the referring (spoke) hospital before being transferred to a thrombectomy centre.
This indicator provides a system-level view of how efficiently referral and transfer processes operate.
How TS4 is defined
TS4 is defined as the median door-in-door-out (DIDO) time for all patients within the thrombectomy network who are transferred for thrombectomy.
Included
All patients who were referred for a thrombectomy transferred from a referring (spoke) hospital to a thrombectomy centre within the network.
Excluded
- Patients not referred for thrombectomy.
- Patients directly admitted to a thrombectomy centre.
- Patients treated outside the thrombectomy network.
Time measured
The time between:
- arrival at the referring centre (clock start), and
- discharge from the referring centre for transfer to the thrombectomy centre.
The median value is used to represent typical performance across the system.
Related dataset questions: 1.13; 2.11a; 7.3
How to interpret this indicator
- Lower values indicate faster transfer from referring centres, which is associated with more timely access to thrombectomy.
- Higher values indicate longer delays before transfer.
- TS4 reflects system processes and coordination, rather than decision-making at a single site.
Important considerations
- TS4 includes only patients who were referred for thrombectomy.
- Differences between systems may reflect pathway design, geography, transport availability, and local processes.
- This indicator should be interpreted alongside other timeliness and access measures within the Thrombectomy System Score.