Lay summary
Recent changes in stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) treatment and management, require new studies to capture their impact on outcomes such as death, disability, costs and carer burden. This Programme aims to provide robust evidence of the burden of stroke/TIA using an ideal population-based approach; investigate pathways by which people reach hospital after stroke/TIA, such as using the ambulance or going to their GP, and how this affects their treatment and outcomes; link data with NZ Statistics to assess the effect of socioeconomic deprivation on stroke/TIA and estimate the burden of stroke for New Zealand by age, gender and ethnicity. Finally, as strokes are highly preventable, we will conduct a randomised controlled trial to test the effect of a psychological intervention known as health and wellness coaching, for the prevention of stroke after TIA and minor stroke. Programme findings will form a robust evidence platform for reducing stroke burden.