A randomized clinical trial to reduce patient prehospital delay to treatment in acute coronary syndrome.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Delay from onset of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) symptoms to hospital admission continues to be prolonged. To date, community education campaigns on the topic have had disappointing results. Therefore, we conducted a clinical randomized trial to test whether an intervention tailored specifically for patients with ACS and delivered one-on-one would reduce prehospital delay time.

Methods and results

Participants (n=3522) with documented coronary heart disease were randomized to experimental (n=1777) or control (n=1745) groups. Experimental patients received education and counseling about ACS symptoms and actions required. Patients had a mean age of 67+/-11 years, and 68% were male. Over the 2 years of follow-up, 565 patients (16.0%) were admitted to an emergency de

SUBMITTER: Dracup K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2802063 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature