Pre-hospital acute coronary syndrome care in Kerala, India: A qualitative analysis

OBJECTIVE: Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of death in India. Many of these deaths are due to acute coronary syndromes (ACS), which require prompt symptom recognition, care-seeking behavior, and transport to a treatment facility in the critical pre-hospital period. In India, little is known about pre-hospital management of individuals with ACS. We aim to understand the facilitators, barriers, and context of optimal pre-hospital ACS care to provide opportunities to reduce pre-hospital delays and improve acute cardiovascular care. METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted a qualitative study using in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with 27 ACS providers in Kerala, India to understand facilitators, barriers, and context to pre-hospital ACS care. Six themes emerged from these interviews and discussions: (1) individuals with ACS misperceive their symptoms as non-cardiac in origin; (2) emergency medical services are infrequently used; (3) insufficient pre-hospital healthcare infrastructure contributes to pre-hospital delay; (4) multiple stops are made before arriving at a facility that can provide definitive diagnosis and treatment; (5) relatively high costs of treatment and lack of widespread health insurance coverage limits care delivery; and (6) novel mobile technologies may allow for faster diagnosis and initiation of treatment in the pre-hospital setting. CONCLUSIONS: Individualized patient-based factors (general knowledge of ACS symptoms, socioeconomic position) and broader systems-based factors (ambulance networks, coordination of transport) affect pre-hospital ACS care in Kerala. Improving public awareness of ACS symptoms, increasing appropriate use of emergency medical services, and building a infrastructure for rapid and coordinated transport may improve pre-hospital ACS care.