Reduction of Prehospital Delays in Stroke and Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA)

Background and Purpose:

In patients with acute stroke, systemic thrombolysis needs to be administered within three hours of symptom onset. The aim of the present study was to reduce prehospital delays in a population-based intervention.

Methods:

We performed a cluster-randomized trial with 48 zip code areas as cluster units in the catchment area of three inner-city hospitals in Berlin. The primary endpoint was time between symptom onset and hospital admission. The intervention consisted of an educational letter indicating stroke symptoms and emphasizing the importance of calling the emergency medical services (EMS). We additionally included a bookmark and sticker with the EMS telephone number. We fitted a lognormal survival regression model (time-to-admission) with frailty terms shared by inhabitants of the same zip code area.

Inclusion criteria

• All patients with stroke or transient ischaemic attacks from the postal code areas of the study being admitted to one of the participating hospitals

Exclusion criteria

• Patients with stroke or transient ischaemic attacks from outside the postal code areas of the study