Anthony Rudd, Jing Zhao, Gary A Ford, Rita Melifonwu, Siju V Abraham, Marc Fisher, Grethe Andersen, David Waters, Dou Li, Renyu Liu
BACKGROUND: Prehospital care including recognition of stroke symptoms by the public and professionals combined with an efficient and effective emergency medical service (EMS) is essential to increase access to effective acute stroke care. We undertook a survey to document the status of stroke prehospital care globally. METHODS: A survey was distributed via email to the World Stroke Organisation (WSO) members. Information was sought on the current status of stroke prehospital delay globally including 1) ambulance availability and whether payment for use is required, 2) ambulance response times and the proportion of patients arriving at hospital by ambulance, 3) the proportion of patients arriving within 3 hours and more than 24 hours after symptom, 4) whether stroke care training of paramedics, call handlers and primary care staff, 5) availability of specialist centers, and 6) the proportion of patients taken to specialist centers...
May 8, 2023: International Journal of Stroke: Official Journal of the International Stroke Society