Determinants of Use of Emergency Medical Services in a Population With Stroke Symptoms

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: With the advent of time-dependent thrombolytic therapy for ischemic stroke, it has become increasingly important for stroke patients to arrive at the hospital quickly. This study investigates the association between the use of emergency medical services (EMS) and delay time among individuals with stroke symptoms and examines the predictors of EMS use. METHODS: The Second Delay in Accessing Stroke Healthcare Study (DASH II) was a prospective study of 617 individuals arriving at emergency departments in Denver, Colo, Chapel Hill, NC, and Greenville, SC, with stroke symptoms. RESULTS: EMS use was associated with decreased prehospital and in-hospital delay. Those who used EMS had a median prehospital delay time of 2.85 hours compared with 4.03 hours for those who did not use EMS (P:=0.002). Older individuals were more likely to use EMS (odds ratio OR 1.21 for each 5-year increase, 95% CI 1.14 to 1.29), as were individuals who expressed a high sense of urgency about their symptoms (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.09 to 2.62). Knowledge of stroke symptoms was not associated with increased EMS use (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.40 to 0.98). Patients were more likely to use EMS if someone other than the patient first identified that there was a problem (OR 2.35, 95% CI 1.61 to 3.44). CONCLUSIONS: Interventions aimed at increasing EMS use among stroke patients need to stress the urgency of stroke symptoms and the importance of calling 911 and need to be broad-based, encompassing not only those at high risk for stroke but also their friends and family.