Community socioeconomic and urban-rural differences in emergency medical services times for suspected stroke in North Carolina.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Our objectives were to describe time intervals of EMS encounters for suspected stroke patients in North Carolina (NC) and evaluate differences in EMS time intervals by community socioeconomic status (SES) and rurality.

Methods

This cross-sectional study used statewide data on EMS encounters of suspected stroke in NC in 2019. Eligible patients were adults requiring EMS transport to a hospital following a 9-1-1 call for stroke-like symptoms. Incident street addresses were geocoded to census tracts and linked to American Community Survey SES data and to rural-urban commuting area (RUCA) codes. Community SES was defined as high, medium, or low based on tertiles of an SES index. Urban, suburban, and rural tracts were defined by RUCA codes 1, 2-6, and 7-10, respectively.

SUBMITTER: Chari SV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10425758 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature