Medical dispatchers recognise substantial amount of acute stroke during emergency calls.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Immediate recognition of stroke symptoms is crucial to ensure timely access to revascularisation therapy. Medical dispatchers ensure fast admission to stroke facilities by prioritising the appropriate medical response. Data on medical dispatchers' ability to recognise symptoms of acute stroke are therefore critical in organising emergency stroke care. We aimed to describe the sensitivity and positive predictive value of medical dispatchers' ability to recognise acute stroke during emergency calls, and to identify factors associated with recognition.

Methods

This was an observational study of 2653 consecutive unselected patients with a final diagnosis of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). All admitted through the Emergency Medical Services Copenhagen, durin

SUBMITTER: Viereck S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4936322 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature