Family Physician Decisions and Stroke Response Times
Author Information
Author(s): Ian Mosley, Marcus Nicol, Geoffrey Donnan, Helen Dewey
Primary Institution: National Stroke Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia
Hypothesis
Factors associated with first calling a family physician could be identified, and time to ambulance call will be longer when a family physician is first contacted.
Conclusion
Time delays to ambulance call were significantly longer for stroke patients when a family physician was first contacted.
Supporting Evidence
- In 32% of cases, an ambulance was first called.
- Patients with a history of stroke or TIA were less likely to call a doctor following symptom onset.
- Time to ambulance call was significantly longer when a family physician was contacted first.
Takeaway
If you think someone is having a stroke, it's best to call an ambulance right away instead of contacting a family doctor first.
Methodology
A prospective observational study of ambulance-transported stroke patients in Melbourne, Australia, over 6 months.
Limitations
The time of the original call to the family physician was not reported, and data collection was undertaken in 2005.
Participant Demographics
198 patients, 45% male, mean age 79 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p = 0.0018
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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